Year in review: Three IGLs in a year for Astralis

We're coming to the end of 2024 now, so we thought it would be a good idea to turn back the clock and look back on the years of all the BLAST Premier teams.

Next up is Astralis, the Danish organisation that called itself home to three IGLs across 2024.

Ultimately a disappointing year for one of the greatest organisations in Counter-Strike history, there were some bright points, so let's look at everything they achieved in 2024.

The first season

Astralis entered 2024 with a team consisting of device, blameF, Staehr, stavn, and jabbi, but it wasn't long before that lineup would see a change.

The year began well with qualification to the PGL Major Copenhagen RMR and BLAST Premier Spring Final, but a disastrous performance in Poland saw them exit IEM Katowice in last place.

Things went from bad to worse at the RMR itself, they were eliminated from Major contention in the decider in a 2-0 loss to 9 Pandas.

An inexcusable result for the team, blameF was removed, with his captaincy and the issues with conflicting roles with stavn coming to an end in February.

Photo: Michal Konkol

In his place came br0, a more selfless player who would prove to be the exact type of player Astralis needed to kick start their year.

As for the leadership of the team, IGL duties were taken over by device, while ruggah joined as a coach.

The changes had an instant impact, Astralis went on a solid run to the end of the season that saw them finish in the top four of four events in a row. Those events were IEM Chengdu, CCT Global Final, ESL Pro League Season 19, and YaLLa Compass.

They then ended their season with a quarter-finals exit at BLAST Premier Spring Final, which, while seeming like a step back, was still a far cry from where they were at the start of the year.

Photo: Michal Konkol

The second season

Sadly, Astralis couldn't carry that momentum into the second season.

They qualified for BLAST Premier Fall Final, but faced disappointment at both IEM Cologne and ESL Pro League Season 20, failing to reach the playoffs of either event.

Results slowing down called for more changes to the team, and with HooXi available following his benching by G2, many expected that the former Cologne and Katowice winner would come in to take over from device as the team's captain.

As it happened, that wasn't what transpired. As for what did happen, we're still a little shocked by it.

Photo: Michal Konkol

Given how things on HEROIC ended, no one expected to ever see cadiaN, stavn, and jabbi line up on a team again, but by October, that's what we would see on Astralis.

The former HEROIC IGL, once pushed out of the team by stavn and jabbi before they themselves departed the team, signed for Astralis to embark on a new chapter in his career as a rifling in-game leader as br0 was benched.

Unlike the previous IGL change, this one didn't have an instant impact. The team bombed out of BLAST Premier Fall Final in last place, and then finished in 9th-12th place at IEM Rio.

However, by BLAST Premier World Final, Astralis were beginning to show that the new team could work. In Singapore, the team registered their fifth top four placing of the year, eventually exiting the competition in a 2-1 defeat to Spirit.

Photo: Michal Konkol

Sadly, Astralis couldn't push on from that result. As the RMR approached, br0 was reinstated to the roster due to device needing to take time off for his health.

Despite the loss of their star, Astralis went into the Perfect World Shanghai Major with high hopes of making their first CS2 Major, but those hopes were dashed as they were eliminated by Passion UA with a 2-3 record.

A tough end to what was a very up and down season for the Danish organisation, they will be reinvigorated by the fact that device is already confirmed to be returning for the start of the 2025 season.

With so many teams making changes ahead of the new year, Astralis now have a golden opportunity to return themselves to the top of the Counter-Strike pyramid, the only question is whether some of their stars can get over their playoff jitters.