It’s a new Day 1 for Astralis. Another one. Kasper Straube, Astralis’ Sport Director since last summer, joins us on a Google Meet call the first day of work for the new iteration of the Astralis CS2 team. Alexander "br0" Bro and Casper "ruggah" Due are the two new faces on the team sheet for the Danish Organization that has struggled to find back to the winning formula that ignited the organization into stardom at the tail end of the 2010s. 

While 2024 started great for the Danes by securing a ticket to the BLAST Spring Finals in London, the situation quickly became dire with a bad showing at IEM Katowice and then the failed qualification for the Major in Copenhagen on home turf. A bitter pill to swallow for both Astralis and the Danish fans who had looked forward to seeing the new “superteam” defending the Danish colors at the Royal Arena.

But what went wrong at the European RMR tournament? We asked the Director of Sports at Astralis, Kasper Straube, who pointed out right away, that the team had taken a hit in Katowice with the early exit, but that the mental side of the game was not the only area, where Astralis was having problems.

- Counter-Strike-wise, the team has faced challenges due to inadequacies on a technical and tactical level. We have lacked the necessary solutions and tools to handle the situations properly. I truly acknowledge the mental side of it as well, but to me, it is more a question of the CS foundation we had built being too narrow.

- With the quality we have on the team, we should have succeeded at the RMR nonetheless. We have all failed in and around the sporting setup. We have failed on various levels. For me, it is a collective responsibility, Kasper Straube, Sports Director of Astralis, states.

A few minutes after it had become a fact, that Astralis were not going to participate in the first Danish Major in history, Victor "Staehr" Staehr appeared on PGL’s livestream to do an interview about the failed qualification. Nobody remembers what the youngest member of the Astralis roster really said, but the fact that it was him, and not the most experienced player on the team Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz or the in-game leader Benjamin "blameF" Bremer that stood up for the team in the perhaps darkest hour of Astralis’ history was shocking to the CS Community.

Was it a lack of leadership to not realize the importance of doing the first interview after the disastrous match against 9Pandas?

In an ideal world I would have liked the interview to be done by one of the older or more experienced players such as device or blameF. But when there is a guy coming into the room with a microphone asking to do an interview, and a young guy like Staehr steps up to the plate and says “I will do that”, I can only respect that, and I know he has earned a lot of respect from everyone in Astralis for doing that, Kasper Straube says.

- The speculations about if they one after another declined to do the interview, and it ended up being Staehr because he was the last one, is not how I have been told everything came down. It was a very young man who took a very, very big responsibility in a spontaneous act, at least that is what I have been told. I think it says an awful lot about Victor "Staehr" Staehr, and nothing about the others.

- It's important to me that I know that when it's at another time when it's not so fun, I know someone else will step up for Staehr, Kasper Straube adds.

You can see a part of the interview with Staehr here.

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The decision to terminate the contract of head coach Peter "casle" Ardenskjold shortly before the end of 2023 and not have a replacement immediately lined up to be able to guide the team through the European RMR tournament seemed somewhat off of what we usually expect from Astralis. The 23-year-old Assistant Coach, Mathias "R0nic" Pinholt, was tasked with the job of trying to support the roster as much as he could on the server, while the sporting setup around the team also chipped in to try and prepare the team as much as possible.

Without going into details about the potential candidates for the vacant job as head coach for Astralis, Kasper Straube revealed that it was a calculated risk they took, when they decided to let Peter "casle" Ardenskjold go.

- The expectation was certainly that we would have a coach in place for the RMR. But the calculation was also made at the time that there was also a scenario where we did not have a coach in place. It all came down to the fact, that we thought in any case that it was the best solution for the team to say goodbye to “casle”.

Directly asked if it would have made a difference to have an experienced coach like Casper "ruggah" Due with the team at the RMR, Straube answered.

- Having "ruggah" with us in Romania could have made a difference to the RMR, if this was not the case there is no chance, we would have signed him. Nobody would hire a coach who would not make a difference at tournaments.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"ruggah_l0vzwq","originalWidth":6000,"originalHeight":4000,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: PGL"}]

Casper "ruggah" Due did take part in the RMR but as a coach for OG

The question remains why it was so urgent for Astralis to replace Peter "casle" Ardenskjold right before one of the most important couple of months for the organization, who desperately wanted to represent their country on its home turf at the Major.

- It has nothing to do with whether “casle” is a good or bad coach, but an expression of the fact that we needed something else around the team and that we had an expectation that we could get a coach in much earlier than we now have done, Straube explains before pointing out the key areas, where he expects Casper "ruggah" Due to have more impact on the team as a coach.

- It's more about setting some overall framework for how we want to play, making sure to implement the inputs that the players bring, and then of course making it fit together. It is one of the things I have seen as a strength in Casper "ruggah" Due, that he manages to set some structure and take the responsibility to ask the right questions and follow up on things in everyday life. It’s definitely something we have been missing both in 2024 but also before.

When speaking with Kasper Straube it becomes very clear, that one of the problems on Astralis has been the roles on the team. Directly asked if the economy played a part in the benching of Benjamin "blameF" Bremer, Straube unequivocally denied that the decision was made due to lack of finances but more about the roles on the team.

- You are absolutely correct that missing the Majors is a significant setback. For us, it marks the third occurrence, emphasizing the challenging nature of the situation. The decision to part ways with Benjamin "blameF" Bremer or bring in Alexander "br0" Bro is not driven by financial incentives or constraints. Rather, it is solely based on our desire for roles to align and a unified philosophy in our approach. Straube shared these insights during a call from the Astralis office in Copenhagen where a couple of the many trophies that Astralis won in their glory days pops up in the background. Trophies that will remind the new team that assembled for the first time this very day, what Astralis’ legacy in CS:GO was, and where Astralis wants them to go in CS2.

First up though they will have to watch the Copenhagen Major from the sideline.

Tomorrow, in the second part of our interview with Kasper Straube, you can hear much more about the reasons why Benjamin "blameF" Bremer was benched, Alexander "br0" Bro’s role on the team, and why Astralis did not chose to go with the classic type of the self-sacrificing in-game leader, as we see on several of the highest-ranked teams in the world at the moment.

blameF

ruggah

Staehr

Astralis

In a huge upset loss, Astralis lost the first match of the Last Chance Qualifier to the Russian team 9Pandas. The Danes thereby missed the third Major participation in a row, and perhaps even more importantly failed to represent their home country in front of the Danish audience at the upcoming Major in Copenhagen.

It all went wrong on Overpass, where Astralis lost the map despite winning both pistol rounds and winning four clutch situations during the map. Timur 'clax' Sabirov from 9Pandas went 7-1 in opening kills to set his team up for success. On the other side of the server, Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz once again had problems finding impact, while Victor "Staehr" Staehr was the only Astralis player with a positive K-D.

Things did not get easier on Nuke, where 9Pandas quickly identified the A site as the weakest and constantly rushed the site leaving the Astralis players in disarray. An 8-4 lead at the break was converted to a 13-8 win for 9Pandas, who keep their Major dreams alive for a day longer. Tomorrow they will play one or two games, where they will need to win to qualify for Copenhagen.

Astralis on the other hand will now face heavy criticism from all fronts, and the question remains if the team will look the same in the future, or if we will see another roster shuffle anytime soon.

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News broke today with Astralis benching their in-game leader Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander to make room for the 18-year-old Sprout talent, Victor "Staehr" Staehr.

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The young rifler commented on the transfer move in a press statement on Astralis' website.

- I've been aware that Astralis has been interested in signing me at one point, and I can only say that I'm extremely happy to call myself an Astralis player. The team has won some not so big tournaments this spring, but even without any big tournament wins, Astralis is still one of the world's most interesting teams and organizations. I had several good opportunities, but as a Dane you still can’t beat wearing the Astralis jersey.

- I know a few of my new teammates very well and I am really looking forward to getting started and "grinding" with the team and the coach. We don’t have a lot of time, but we are a group of players who are ready to do everything we can to get there, says Staehr.

b0RUP: I know exactly why I have been brought in

Johannes "b0RUP" Borup was the surprise signing of the day. The former Heroic player has been added to the roster to fill a very specific role on the team. Something the 23-year-old player is very aware of. 

- I’ve had a lot of thoughts in relation to your future, and honestly this is beyond what I had expected. But you don't say “no” when Astralis asks if you’re interested!

- I am really looking forward to getting started, and I know exactly why I have been brought in, for which role. These are some of the world's best players who I already know from different contexts, so I am completely calm about the expectations.

- I am aware that expectations are always high in Astralis, but for me, that is actually one of the great things about being a part of this org. I will do everything I can to show that I belong and to give the fans something to cheer for – and to win!

b0RUP

After six years and seven months in the Astralis jersey, Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander was today removed from the active lineup.

Astralis announced the benching of their legendary in-game leader, who is the most coveted in-game leader in CS:GO history in a press statement, where 18-year-old Dane Victor "Staehr" Staehr and Johannes "b0RUP" Borup will be new faces on the Astralis lineup, while Alexander "Altekz" Givskov rejoins the talent squad.

The in-game leader responsibility will fall on Benjamin "blameF" Bremer with the benching of Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander.

- I am extremely happy that we have agreed with Sprout on an immediate transfer of Staehr, who is undoubtedly one of the biggest Danish CS talents of the past 5 years. It's an open secret, we've had a good eye for him for a long time, and in terms of what we want with the team, he fits in perfectly. I am looking forward to working with him and helping him to really develop his potential further.

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- In relation to b0RUP, he is a player we know well. He has been brought in for the specific role in the system we want to play and I expect him to contribute a lot to the team and his teammates. He is only 23, but he brings in a lot of useful experience, and with these 5 players on the roster, I have a strong belief, we have found a better balance in the team and a will come out with a lot of energy and firepower.

- At the same time, I would like to praise Andreas, Alexander and Lukas for their efforts during a difficult period when, despite hard work from everyone, we have not made things succeed quite as we would have liked. We have seen good signs and trends along the way, but we also had some very big dips and neither found the right constellation nor a stable level of performance. We now have the opportunity to bring in two players who fit in with the way we want to play, and the time for change is right, says the head coach.

28-year-old Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander has won 19 S-tier tournaments with Astralis including four Majors. The in-game leader is number four on the all-time moneylist with $1,860,642.41 in earnings during his career.

{cflag:DK} Christian Møss "Buzz" Andersen

gla1ve

Yesterday’s news linking Sprout’s Victor "Staehr" Staehr to Astralis has sparked speculations about who the 18-year-old Dane is set to replace on the current Astralis roster (if any?).

While the rumors have not yet been confirmed, the former Astralis player and now analyst Lucas "Bubzkji" Andersen went on Twitter with his take on the situation.

In a reply to Jacob "Pimp" Winneche, Bubzkji furthermore explained why he thinks the signing of Staehr would indicate, that Astralis are not looking to replace one of the two former academy players currently on the team, Alexander "Altekz" Givskov and Christian Møss "Buzz" Andersen.

The tweet from Bubzkji was quickly quoted by fellow analyst Alex "Mauisnake" Ellenberg citing the tweet as a sign of the public discourse going from “role-agnostic to role-pilled”.

In a follow-up tweet Mauisnake underlined, that the move of replacing blameF with Staehr would only make sense to cut costs.

Astralis with gla1ve, blameF, Altekz, Buzz, and device on the team plays their quarter-final at IEM Dallas tonight at 20.30 (CET) against MOUZ.

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Bubzkji

Despite a good showing at IEM Dallas, Astralis has continued its search for new blood to its roster according to [link:{"url":"https://www.hltv.org/news/36400/staehr-set-for-astralis-move-in-2024-earlier-transfer-possible","isNewTab":true,"text":"HLTV"}], who states that multiple sources have revealed, that Astralis has already completed the signing of Victor "Staehr" Staehr.

The rumors about Staehr joining Astralis were already present at the IEM Rio Major in 2022. Here we asked the Dane what he thought about the possibility of playing for Astralis.

- I think a Danish player can say no to Astralis. Of course, it would be hard because they have such a legacy and is a big name in Denmark. But it really depends on who will play there and whether you will play your own positions and stuff like this. So, it would definitely be hard because of the name, Staehr said to Pley.gg.

You can see the interview with Staehr in the video below.

In the report from HLTV, it is not clear who Staehr would replace on Astralis.

Astralis play against MOUZ in the Quarter-Final at IEM Dallas tomorrow night. 

Sprout

Aaron “AZR” Ward is finally back in competitive CS:GO following a lengthy break on the sideline. With the transfer to Sprout, the Aussie veteran once again got the chance to lead a team to lead as we have seen him do at Renegades, 100 Thieves and EXTREMUM.

510 days to be exact had passed before we again saw him again compete in the higher tiers of Counter-Strike. A hiatus he’s used to visiting relatives and family down under and preparing for his long-awaited comeback.

- While it was nice to have a breather and reground myself, I’m really happy to be playing again, AZR says to Pley and continues:

- The break gave me a lot of opportunities to visit family in Australia for a longer period of time compared to the usual 1-2 weeks back home. I also spent quite a bit of time working on my mental health which was rewarding. So, after all this time, I’m definitely feeling motivated and ready to get back into the game.

On Sprout, AZR joins a super young squad embodied in the promising teenage trio of lauNX (17), Staehr (18), and Zyphon (18) with the Romanian AWPer XELLOW (22) rounding off the roster. Despite the age difference for the 30-year-old IGL, he still believes he has a thing or two to learn.

- It's a breath of fresh air that's for sure. They are all young, skilled and highly motivated which motivates me even more. I definitely think the potential is great within the team and with hard work and motivation I think we can take it very far… I almost feel like a youthful student of the game again which is quite reinvigorating.

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AZR explains in the interview with us that the deal between him and Sprout was decided after only a couple of practice days and a meeting with the team. Here all parties felt a good connection and “luckily we all wanted to move forward together”, he describes.

But he also notes that it’s a different task that awaits him now compared to his previous tenures at Renegades, 100 Thieves, and EXTREMUM.

- I first stepped into the role of IGL when I played on Renegades - A team that I had been playing with for years at that time. So, when I started in- game leading I had the advantage of knowing the players very well. I knew their strengths and weaknesses which is a key to being a good IGL in my book. This is the first time in my career that I’m faced with a new challenge of leading a new team who I need to get to know. I need to know how they play in order to lead most efficiently.

- This is also the first time I’m on an international team so I need to get used to the communication. All in all, excited to see what the future holds.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/staehr_Sprout_klicrr","originalWidth":2048,"originalHeight":1152,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: PGL"}]

Where he previously has had the comfort of leading a majority of Oceanic players, AZR now has to navigate between having a couple of Danes and Romanians each in his arsenal (Staehr at PGL Major Antwerp RMR)

We also asked him about his own individual level and how he has kept an eye on the CS:GO meta while being back.

- Watching cs and playing cs are two vastly different things. While I have been able to watch and learn about the meta now, I need to be able to play it. I'm currently putting in a lot of hours playing and watching Counter-Strike. Also getting a lot of input from BERRY who is catching me up on the meta a lot. I definitely think I can learn a lot from the team and its players… it’s been interesting to see how the meta has shifted in just the last 18 months.

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lauNX

Zyphon

XELLOW

Renegades

EXTREMUM

100 Thieves

The Germans from Sprout have this year managed to put together an extremely promising but also successful roster.

Led by the former Heroic rifler Ismail “refrezh” Ali, Sprout fields a talented trio of Rasmus Zyphon” Nordfoss, Victor “Staehr” Staehr, and Laurențiu “lauNX” Țârlea – with especially the two latter players having drawn a lot of interest from the CS:GO elite. Reportedly, Astralis has kept a close eye on Staehr to round off their roster while lauNX previously has been on ENCE's radar earlier this year. 

In the newest episode of HLTV Confirmed, Sprout’s IGL refrezh talks about potentially losing some of his youngsters to bigger organizations and what that will mean for the team. 

You can watch the entire HLTV Confirmed episode with refrezh down below. 

{cflag:DK} Staehr (18 years old) – 1.13 Rating

{cflag:RO} lauNX (17 years old)  – 1.12 Rating

{cflag:DK} Zyphon (18 years old)  – 1.08 Rating

{cflag:DE} slaxz- (24 years old)  - 1.03 Rating

{cflag:DK} refrezh (24 years old)  – 0.99 Rating

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refrezh

Astralis is [link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/news/rumor-astralis-willing-trade-farlig-staehr","isNewTab":true,"text":"reportedly "}]keeping an eye on Sprout’s Victor “Staehr” Staehr having placed the Danish youngster on their radar to round off their roster. Here the 18-year-old rifler is set to take over the vacant roster spot left by Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke.

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We caught Staehr for a chat at IEM Rio where he confirmed that he hasn’t been in contact with Astralis yet, but where we also asked whether it’s possible for a Danish player to say no to Astralis.

- I think a Danish player can say no to Astralis. Of course, it would be hard because they have such a legacy and is a big name in Denmark. But it really depends on who will play there and whether you will play your own positions and stuff like this. So, it would definitely be hard because of the name, Staehr said to Pley.gg after eliminating NIP at IEM Rio. 

You can watch the entire interview down below. 

Despite his modest age of 18, Staehr has already proven himself on the biggest stage of Counter-Strike. The teenager has by many experts and fans been dubbed as one of CS:GO's most promising talents, which Astralis seemingly also have noticed as they allegedly have reached out to Sprout for a potential transfer. 

It was [link:{"url":"https://www.jaxon.gg/astralis-after-staehr-offer-farlig-trade/","isNewTab":true,"text":"Jaxon "}]that came out with the rumours and stated that Astralis were offering Asger "Farlig" Jensen in a potential trade deal. 

An offer to which Sprout publicly replied with a [link:{"url":"https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensive/comments/y2u72h/comment/is4zyn0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3","isNewTab":true,"text":"'No thanks'"}].

Name: Victor “Staehr” Staehr | 18-years-old

Notable former teams: Quantum Bellator Fire, OPAA Gaming 

Stats for last three months: 1.13 Rating / 82.5 ADR / 1.18 Impact rating / 70.7% KAST

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The goal is clear for Astralis: They need to become a CS:GO powerhouse once again, and be a team that competes for titles and not second places.

The blockbuster signing and return of Nicolai “device” Reedtz look to be a step in the right direction and a necessary investment. However, several experts have stated that bringing back the superstar AWPer is not enough.

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We have asked Niels Christian “NaToSaphiX” Sillassen to take a look at three potential players to take the last spot on the roster, which was left vacant after the release of Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke.

Here are the three players and their player profiles:

Mikkel “Mistr” Thomsen | 18-years-old

MistR is the only player of the three, who already is under contract with Astralis and will therefore be the easiest option to pick. The 18-year-old rifler has already featured for Astralis’ main team at the RMRs and BLAST Fall Showdown as a temporary stand-in following k0nfig’s exit.  

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/MistR_kphd94","originalWidth":3840,"originalHeight":2160,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: ESL"}]

Staehr is widely considered as one of the hottest prospects in CS:GO right now, and has strived massively ever since his transfer from the lower-ranked Danes OPAA to Sprout in early 2022. Astralis have reportedly already shown interest in signing the promising talent, which Sprout afterwards have declined publicly.  

Team: Free agent (stand-in at Astralis Talent)

Rating in 2022: 0.78 (against top 50) ((only played 2 maps))

This is more of an unknown quantity for the wider Counter-Strike fan. With that being said, br0 has been playing some very impressive CS:GO as a stand-in for Astralis lately. So good that some Astralis fans, and also NaToSaphiX, have thrown his name into the mix of players who can round off Astralis’ star-studded roster consisting of device, gla1ve, blameF and Xyp9x.

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MistR

After the failed attempt to qualify for IEM Rio, Astralis have begun their rebuild. The benching of Martin “trace” Heldt and the mutual agreement with Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke to terminate his contract with Astralis are the first steps of the new setup at Astralis. 

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Now Victor "Staehr" Staehr is linked with a potential move to Astralis in a trade deal with Sprout, where Astralis AWP'er Asger "farlig" Jensen is supposed to be moving to Sprout instead. For now, it is an inquiry from Astralis according to the media [link:{"url":"https://www.jaxon.gg/astralis-after-staehr-offer-farlig-trade/","isNewTab":true,"text":"Jaxon.gg"}].

Victor "Staehr" Staehr has been a revelation for Sprout during his stint at the German Organization. Staehr joined Sprout in January 2022 and was part of the team that recently qualified for IEM Rio as Legends.

Sprout has been one of the pleasant surprises at the EU RMR.

The new roster with three Danes, a German, and the Romanian super talent Laurențiu 'lauNX' Țârlea was 2-1 up after three rounds at the RMR before their match against B8.

An intense match ended on Inferno after both teams had won their own map pick by small margins. But on Inferno Sprout was simply the better team, and showed fine CS on both their T and CT side. Victor 'Staehr' Staehr made a big impact on Inferno following in the footprint of his Danish teammates who also dominated a map each.

Sprout has only ever qualified for one Major previously, so this is a landmark in their history. 

B8 can still qualify for the Major tomorrow in the last round of the EU RMR.

B8 - Sprout 1-2 | IEM Road to Rio RMR (Group A)

16-13 (Nuke) | {cflag:DK} refrezh – 1.63 Rating / 32–18 K-D / 112.7 ADR

13-16 (Vertigo) | {cflag:DK} Zyphoon – 1.54 Rating / 30–19 K-D / 102.7 ADR

7-16 (Inferno) | {cflag:DK} Staehr – 1.99 Rating / 27–11 K-D / 130.7 ADR

Player of the Match: Victor 'Staehr' Staehr

Astralis have been a part and competed at every single Major championship since its birth back in 2016, winning four titles on their way. However, that streak might end sooner rather than later with the Danes currently fighting an uphill battle in the attempt to secure a ticket for the upcoming Rio Major.

But if you ask Janko "YNk" Paunović, CS:GO analyst and expert, he believes missing out on the Major would actually be the best possible outcome for Astralis.

- I think the best thing that could happen to Astralis is not making it to the Major. Then you just blow up the roster. You keep blameF, you keep gla1ve, and then you get device and potentially staehr and zyphon from Sprout. There’s a roster for you, YNk said on the desk before Astralis’ match against Eternal Fire.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"teams/ninjas in pyjamas /Device_NIP_ov3y5q","originalWidth":2048,"originalHeight":1152,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: Ninjas in Pyjamas","alt":"device, dev1ce, CSGO, NIP, Denmark, Ninja in Pyjamas"}]

device is rumoured to join Astralis with the transfer price having been agreed reportedly

YNk clearly doesn’t believe in the current Astralis lineup, saying the problems already started right after they signed Benjamin “blameF” Bremer and Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke in a blockbuster transfer in November last year.

Following that Asger “farlig” Jensen also arrived replacing Phillip “Lucky” Ewald on the AWP.

- There have been issues with this roster ever since they added k0nfig and blameF, with the role overlap with gla1ve, which we have talked about time after time, YNk stated on the desk. I think it would be a great sort of excuse for them to start fresh - give the players some rest, to reset mentally. It has been a very draining process with someone like gla1ve and xyp9x who have won four Majors and been a part of the best team in the world for a couple of years. Now they can’t even make the Major.

You can watch the entire desk segment about Astralis in the video below. 

Astralis began their European RMR campaign at IEM Road to Rio yesterday, where they are hoping to secure a prestigious ticket to the Rio Major later this month. The Danes are currently on a 1-1 record after beating Eternal Fire today and losing to Ninjas in Pyjamas on Tuesday. They will play their next matchup tomorrow.

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device

Xyp9x

Farlig

Lucky

k0nfig

With a dominant 2-0 win against HEET, Sprout secured a spot in the Grand Final of ESL Challenger Melbourne last night.

The win in the upper final against HEET was inspired by a great performance from Victor 'Staehr' Staehr, who ended the match with an ADR of 103.8. Sprout started the match by winning their own map pick of Vertigo before destroying HEET on Nuke by 16-2.

HEET drops down into the Consolidation Final, where they will face Entropiq. The winner of that match will advance to the Grand Final at 20.00 (CEST) against Sprout.

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HEET

A do-or-die series at IEM Cologne saw Vitality qualify for the main stage while Sprout were sent packing. 'raalz' and co. did not go silently though.

The brawl began on Sprout's Vertigo, and the first 15 rounds of the map were split in five streaks of three to the favor of Vitality who led 9-6 at halftime, after great performances from 'misutaaa' and 'Magisk'.

'Staehr' started heating up on the CT side and managed to pull his team back into contention, and even carried them to a double-overtime victory on a map where he was the only Sprout player with a positive rating.

After the devastating OT loss on Vertigo, Vitality now absolutely had to win on their pick of Dust2. The French/Danish mix seemed aware of the situation as they delivered an awesome 10-5 T side, putting them in a cozy situation as they switched to the defensive side.

After winning the first five rounds of the second half and equalizing the score, Sprout started losing control as 'dupreeh' and 'Magisk' repelled everything that was sent against them on the defense. The Danes duo made sure that Vitality safely took Dust2 at 16-11.

After a very promising 6-1 offensive start on the deciding map of Overpass, Sprout, unfortunately, started to let their lead slip. 'dupreeh' and 'apEX' led the Vitality lineup to a 7-1 run that saw them take a one-round lead at the break.

After taking the pistol round and the following conversion, it seemed like Sprout's power had run out. The 'apEX'-led squad pretty safely closed out the map and the series with an 8-1 streak, and thereby eliminated Sprout from the competition.

Sprout - Vitality 1-2 | IEM Cologne Play-in

22-20 (Vertigo) | {cflag:DK} Staehr - 1.55 Rating / 41-25 K-D / 104.2 ADR

11-16 (Dust2) | {cflag:DK} dupreeh - 1.39 Rating / 22-14 K-D / 92.6 ADR

10-16 (Overpass) | {cflag:DK} Magisk - 1.41 Rating / 21-15 K-D / 99.0 ADR

MVP: {cflag:DK} Victor 'Staehr' Staehr - 1.33 Rating / 79-59 K-D / 93.3 ADR

Team Vitality

The Germans from Sprout will not attend the upcoming PGL Antwerp Major European RMR B in full force. The underdogs are set to do without their youngster Victor “Staehr” Staehr due to the 17-year-old rifler feeling sick.

Head coach Danny “BERRY” Krüger has been confirmed as a substitute for the important RMR tournament.

- Super sad about this. Was so hyped to play the RMR, but there is nothing I Can do about it. Just praying I can get there soon. Until then, I’ll cheer on the boys from home, Staehr wrote on [link:{"url":"https://twitter.com/StaehrCS/status/1516746988141875205","isNewTab":true,"text":"Twitter"}].

Sprout, now without Staehr, will kick off their RMR campaign tomorrow at 14:45 (CET) when they take on Copenhagen Flames in a Bo1 series. They will fight against top-tier teams as Astralis, G2, Gambit and NIP in the battle for the prestigious Major spots. 

{cflag:DK} Rasmus "⁠raalz⁠" Steensborg

{cflag:DK} Danny "⁠BERRY⁠" Krüger (stand-in)

{cflag:DK} Victor "⁠Staehr⁠" Staehr (bench)

	30 days	90 days
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Staehr

Player stats

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