blameF: I can finally say we now have a roster that can compete for the biggest titles
Have Astralis found the right recipe after years of trying? A question, we discussed with the strong captain at BLAST Spring Groups.
Times have been tough for Astralis in recent years.
The glory days from 2018-2019 that defined the team suddenly appear as a distant memory, with the Danish juggernaut having failed to win a LAN trophy in more than four years.
Before the start of BLAST Premier Spring Groups, we sat down with the Astralis in-game leader Benjamin “blameF” Bremer for a talk about the current roster – which he “finally” believes is ready to compete for the most prestigious trophies.
- I can finally say that we now have a roster that can compete for the biggest titles in the world. We can finally start to see ourselves go into the Top 5 – but this time actually doing it, instead of just talking about it, which we maybe have done in past lineups in Astralis, blameF says.
Too many roster changes?
Reflecting on the recent time in Astralis, blameF explains that things haven’t been ideal for him and the team, and he also admits that having this “title-contending team” hasn’t always been the case.
- It’s been a rough period. It’s been tough to miss out on a lot of things that you wouldn’t miss out on if you were in a team that competed for the top spots at tournaments. (…) and I don’t think the roster has been functioning at all for a long time, blameF says before discussing the changing rosters in the team:
- I would say that I don't think that changing players every two or three months is how you build a good team. When you have a team, then you have to give them like six or eight months before you can see the full potential.
- Looking back at how everything was when we tried to qualify for the last Major, it was crazy honestly. Just how many stupid things that happened. But that’s past me and I’m just happy I’m in a good place right now.
Every player blameF has played with since joining Astralis:
gla1ve - Xyp9x - k0nfig - Lucky - Farlig - device – Buzz- Altekz - MistR (trial) - b0RUP - Staehr - Jabbi – stavn
An unsung hero among the stars
The last time Astralis won a LAN trophy was in late 2019 at BLAST Pro Series Global Final in Bahrain – 1501 days ago, to be exact.
To change that narrative Astralis spend a reported fee of around $2 million for Heroic’s star duo Martin “stavn” Lund and Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard. But it was neither stavn nor jabbi, who blameF highlighted when we discussed the new roster.
- I would say we have the firepower department covered. Now it’s more about making it work together and giving everyone enough space. The roles and positions are working out pretty well.
- Staehr is probably the guy who’s taken the biggest hit in that aspect, but I honestly think that he's been playing insane. His impact in those hard roles has really impressed me. He fits very well into these harder roles, where you’re playing a lot alone, and he has to take hard decisions in big moments. Something he’s been really good at, blameF says admiringly about his young teammate.
