The longest-standing member of Astralis, Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth has parted ways with the Danish organization.

Thank you, Xyp9x. Today we bid farewell to a legend as we are parting ways with Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth, who will soon be taking on a new challenge. As a founding member, Andreas is a vital part of the team that forever changed Counter-Strike through a new vision for the game and how it is played, and with 4 Majors and 24 major LAN trophies he is one of the most winning players ever. It is not only on the server and in the statistics, though, Andreas has made his mark and a real difference. He has always been there for the fans, to his team-mates he has been a rock, and to Astralis.. He is family.

We are proud to have been a part of your amazing journey, Andreas, and we can’t wait to see how you will grow even further as a part of the Counter-Strike scene.

Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth was demoted to the Astralis Talent team in April 2023 after a trophyless dry spell that is still ongoing. Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth became famous for his numerous clutches for Astralis during their rise to the top of CS:GO. Despite a year out of competition, Xyp9x is still ranked third in the world for most clutches (813) in competitive matches in CS:GO and CS2.

On his own Twitter, Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth made this statement:

- After eight unforgettable years, I find myself at a bittersweet crossroad. This journey has been life-defining, exceeding my wildest dreams. From our shared victories to the unbreakable bound we’ve forged, Astralis has been my home and my heart.

As I embark on a new project filled with promise and potential, I carry with me the same excitement and anticipation as when I first joined this organization. Thank you for everything, and I look forward to the next chapter with great anticipation.

You can see some of Xyp9x's most unforgettable clutches here.

[youtube:Sg455yFK7kw?feature=shared&t=24]

Xyp9x

Astralis

We are less than two weeks away from the start of the BLAST.tv Major in Paris which will be the last CS:GO Major in history. To ease the waiting time, we have created a countdown series, where we dive into the history of all previous 18 Majors.

MVP: [link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/players/jw","isNewTab":true,"text":"Jesper 'JW' Wecksell"}]

Map pool: Dust2, Inferno, Mirage, Nuke, and Train.

The first CS:GO Major to take place was the DreamHack Winter 2013. Before then there had been several big tournaments, but this marked the first time that Valve (the developer of the game) actively went into the planning of a tournament, which gave place for the "Major" term to be used. Valve announced DreamHack as the tournament organizer.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"Affiliation/SKINS_reklame_Pley_xziruo","originalWidth":1920,"originalHeight":480,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","url":"https://bit.ly/3CWWVHW","isNewTab":true}]

DreamHack Winter 2013 started on the 28th of November 2013. The first match to be played at a Major was Fnatic vs Natus Vincere. The tournament was dominated by Sweden, which had a total of 21 players participating including tournament favorites from Ninjas in Pyjamas. Alongside the French/Belgian roster from VeryGames, NIP was seen as the team to beat at the tournament.

In this video, you can see a comprehensive recap of the tournament.

Despite an excellent showing from Richard 'shox' Papillon, VeryGames lost one of their group matches, which ended up pairing them with Ninjas in Pyjamas already in the Semi-Finals. Here NIP dismantled the Frenchmen and qualified for the Grand Final, where they could look forward to an all-Swedish affair against Fnatic. At that time Fnatic had just switched from a Danish roster with Finn 'Karrrigan' Andersen and Andreas 'Xyp9x' Højsleth to an all-Swedish roster with now-legendary names as Jesper "JW" Wecksell and Robin "flusha" Rönnquist. The new roster had made a flawless run at the tournament under excellent guidance from in-game leader Markus "pronax" Wallsten.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/Copyright_-_Sarah-Cooper_-_JW_ar0qyd","originalWidth":3840,"originalHeight":2160,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: Sarah Cooper ESL","alt":"CS:GO, Counter-Strike"}]

In the Grand Final, it all came down to the decider map, Train. Here Jesper "JW" Wecksell (in photo) earned his nickname "Wonderchild". The young Swede annihilated his fellow countrymen going 23-8 in K-D and scoring a 2.04 HTLV rating. Fnatic won the decider map 16-2 to claim the first Major title in history. The "Wonderchild" was named the MVP of the tournament.

Highest rated players at DreamHack Winter 2013:

1. {cflag:SE} [link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/players/jw","isNewTab":true,"text":"Jesper 'JW' Wecksell"}] (Fnatic) - 1.26 rating

2. {cflag:DK} Morten 'coloN' Johansen (Reason) - 1.25 rating

3. {cflag:PL} [link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/players/snax","isNewTab":true,"text":"Janusz 'Snax' Pogorzelski"}] (Universal Soldiers) - 1.22 rating

4. {cflag:US} Spencer 'Hiko' Martin (Complexity) - 1.21 rating

5. {cflag:SE} Andreas 'znajder' Lindberg (Fnatic) - 1.20 rating

6. {cflag:SE} [link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/players/flusha","isNewTab":true,"text":"Robin 'flusha' Rönnquist"}] (Fnatic) - 1.19 rating

7. {cflag:DK} [link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/players/xyp9x","isNewTab":true,"text":"Andreas 'Xyp9x' Højsleth"}] (Copenhagen Wolves) - 1.18 rating

8. {cflag:RU} Denis 'seized' Kostin (Natus Vincere) - 1.18 rating

9. {cflag:SE} Dennis 'dennis' Edman (LGB) - 1.16 rating

10. {cflag:DK} Nicolaj 'Nico' Jensen (Copenhagen Wolves) - 1.14 rating

flusha

Snax

karrigan

A look back on all the Majors in history. We start with the first in Sweden in 2013.

Fnatic

Ninjas in Pyjamas

compLexity Gaming

Alexander “Altekz” Givskov is set to make his debut on Astralis this Thursday after the 19-year-old got promoted to the main team last week, replacing the legendary rifler Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth “for the coming period”.

[slugORMA:{"slug":"astralis-demote-xyp9x-academy-team","isNewTab":true}]

On the main team, Altekz will reunite with his former coach on Astralis Talent Peter "casle" Ardenskjold, who [link:{"url":"https://www.astralis.gg/post/excited-altekz-looking-forward-to-debut-im-determined-to-show-what-im-capable-of","isNewTab":true,"text":"calls "}]the teenager “one of the most exciting talents on the field”.

- Playing with new teammates at a higher level is always different, but he has taken on the task with humility and a huge desire to show what he can do. He is undoubtedly one of the most exciting talents on the field right now, and we have already seen glimpses of that in training, casle says in a [link:{"url":"https://www.astralis.gg/post/excited-altekz-looking-forward-to-debut-im-determined-to-show-what-im-capable-of","isNewTab":true,"text":"statement "}]put out by Astralis.

Altekz himself explains that the team has been welcoming towards him and that the transition has felt natural for him, leaving him to focus more on the in-game aspects.

- (…) It's mostly the in-game stuff that I must get used to. There are many new things I have to remember, such as the callouts being a bit different, but I'm learning everything quickly enough, Altekz says and continues:

- First and foremost, I must be myself and help the team as much as possible. Everyone says there's no pressure and more matches will come, but I want to show what I'm capable of, so I'm excited about my first game.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/Astralis_-_Altekz_ssp2jj","originalWidth":1920,"originalHeight":1080,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: Astralis"}]

Altekz has been a standout performer for Astralis Talent in 2023, averaging a strong 1.15 Rating so far

About the challenge ahead for Altekz and the young rifler’s strengths, casle said the following.

- There are several things to get used to on a new team, but he knows the system for the most part and can play freely and without much pressure. He is sharp in duels, which can also be seen in his stats, and if he can transfer some of that to the matches, we can look forward to seeing him on the server.

Altekz will get his debut tomorrow at 11:00 (CET) when Astralis kick off their campaign at the $333.000 online event Brazy Party 2023. Here the Danes will go up against their fellow Dane Frederik "acoR" Gyldstrand and the rest of GamerLegion. 

You can read the article published by Astralis [link:{"url":"https://www.astralis.gg/post/excited-altekz-looking-forward-to-debut-im-determined-to-show-what-im-capable-of","isNewTab":true,"text":"here"}].

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Altekz

Long-standing team member and four-time Major winner Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth has been moved to Astralis’ academy squad, the Danish organization confirm today.

Xyp9x will for the coming period switch roles with Alexander "Altekz" Givskov from Astralis Talent. Director of Sports at Astralis, Kasper Hvidt touches on the decision here.

- It tells you everything about Andreas that his first thought is to help the organization where he can and give the talents a chance to learn from Andreas' huge experience, while at the same time, we can give one of the most talented young players the opportunity to get closer to the first team. Andreas is still part of our main roster, and the attitude he shows in a difficult situation is exactly what we are looking for in Astralis.

With Xyp9x stepping down for the main squad for the time being, it means that Altekz will step up to the plate joining the profiled quartet of dev1ce, gla1ve, blameF and fellow youngster Buzz. Already yesterday, it was announced that Altekz were to help the main squad. Something you can read more about [link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/news/astralis-promote-academy-player-main-team","isNewTab":true,"text":"here"}].

- I intend to give my everything to help the team. I haven't been made any promises, so for me it's just about showing what I can do and who I am as a person and as a player.

- I know there will be a lot of speculation, but for me, it's about Astralis and about being a team player so that we can lift the results together, Altekz notes in a statement.

Whether or not Xyp9x has lost his roster spot on Astralis’ main team permanently is not known yet, however, it is a fact that he and the organization agreed on a [link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/news/xyp9x-extends-contract-with-astralis","isNewTab":true,"text":"four-year contract extension"}] back in 2021 holding him at Astralis until 2025.

{cflag:DK} Lukas "⁠gla1ve⁠" Rossander

{cflag:DK} Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer

{cflag:DK} Christian "⁠Buzz⁠" Andersen

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During the Group D, 6th-7th decider match between Astralis and Spirit, 27-year-old Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth saves the day after throwing a 200 IQ grande.

Leading 9-8 on the first map, Spirit looked to get the bomb down with only four seconds left on the clock. However, the Astralis veteran saw his opportunity to save the day. Going up the latter in the vent, Xyp9x throws the perfect grande to take down w0nderful and win the round to tie things at 9-9. 

Watch Xyp9x throw a 200 IQ grenade right here:

Astralis won the series 2-1 over Spirit but failed to take down Liquid in the qualifying match later the same day. 

[slugORMA:{"slug":"liquid-secure-playoffs-spot-over-astralis","isNewTab":true}]

Astralis’ 2022 year hasn’t been quite the success that the team and fans had hoped for. But now that their AWPer device has returned to the team, the Danish squad is filled with hope and excitement for the new year. In a video shared by Astralis on their YouTube channel, the Danes go through their recent tour around Denmark and also talk about the team’s expectations for 2023.

In the video, Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth expressed optimism for the future, believing that everyone who watches CS:GO will see a completely new Astralis team.

The legendary Astralis era is back with a friendly wingman match. As the most successful team to ever grace our game of Counter-Strike, Astralis was laid to rest in 2021. The Astralis team from 2018 to 2020 will go down as the best team in the history of the game. 

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Dupreeh & Xyp9x take on gla1ve & Magisk in a fight where what to buy is decided at random at the start of every round. Which mix team will win the reunion of the Astralis legendary roster? 

Check out this iconic wingman match on Cobblestone:

Magisk

dupreeh

gla1ve

Team Vitality

At Elisa Masters Espoo 2022, Astralis finished on 3-4th place after they got eliminated from the tournament by fnatic with a 0-2 scoreline in the semi-finals.

Astralis’ match before that, against ENCE in the quarter-finals, saw the clutch minister, Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth, deliver his best performance in this year. On the second map of the series, Ancient, Xyp9x finished on top of the scoreboard with a 1.84 Rating and 126.2 ADR, playing a big role in the [link:{"url":"https://www.hltv.org/matches/2360098/ence-vs-astralis-elisa-masters-espoo-2022","isNewTab":true,"text":"16-14 map victory"}]. A 33-kill performance that nearly surpassed his best performance in 2021 rating-wise, which was against [link:{"url":"https://www.hltv.org/matches/2351766/astralis-vs-endpoint-iem-fall-2021-europe","isNewTab":true,"text":"Endpoint at IEM Fall 2021 Europe"}], where he topped the scoreboard with a 1.88 Rating and 115.2 ADR.

In an interview with HLTV after the match against ENCE, Xyp9x gave his thoughts on Astralis’ new system and the role changes which have happened after their new coach came in.

“I feel more confident in the roles I’ve been assigned now and I think it also shows in my game. So I am just happy about the new Astralis in general.”

There’s been a lot of conversations about the structure of Astralis and blameF’s reliance to frag, but it’s easy to notice that their kills on the server have been spread out more evenly lately. Xyp9x also gave a comment on this in the interview, stating that “the stats are sometimes misguided by where you play on the map”.

You can read [link:{"url":"https://www.hltv.org/news/35112/xyp9x-i-feel-more-confident-in-the-roles-ive-been-assigned-now","isNewTab":true,"text":"HLTV’s full interview with Xyp9x"}] right here.

Professional Counter-Strike is an industry where you often see players jump between multiple teams and organizations during their career - counting up to more than ten different teams in some cases.

But that's not the case for every CS:GO player. 

In this article, we highlight the most loyal players in the game. Players who have stayed with one organization despite big letdowns, disappointing results, and lucrative offers from other teams. Topping the list with quite a margin, we have Liquid's Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski who has represented the North American squad through thick and thin for over seven years. 

You can find the complete list down below. 

Top 10 players | Longest tenure with a single team

*The list only includes active players inside Top 30 (17/11)

1. {cflag:US} EliGE (Liquid) 22/3 2015 – 7 years, 7 months, 26 days

2. {cflag:DK} Xyp9x (Astralis) 18/1 2016 - 6 years, 9 months, 30 days

3. {cflag:NO} rain (FaZe) 20/1 2016 - 6 years, 9 months, 28 days

4. {cflag:UA} s1mple (NAVI) 4/8 2016 - 6 years, 3 months, 13 days

5. {cflag:SE} KRIMZ (fnatic) 24/10 2016 - 6 years, 0 months 24 days

5. {cflag:DK} gla1ve (Astralis) 24/10 2016 - 6 years, 0 months 24 days

7. {cflag:US} Brehze (NRG/Evil Geniuses) 19/12 2016 - 5 years, 10 months, 29 days

8. {cflag:DE} tabseN (BIG) 2/1 2017 - 5 years, 10 months, 15 days

9. {cflag:SE} REZ (Ninjas in Pyjamas) 12/6 2017 - 5 years, 5 months, 5 days

10. {cflag:ES} mopoz (Movistar Riders) 24/7 2017 - 5 years, 3 months, 24 days

[slugORMA:{"slug":"its-last-opportunity-kennys-returning-competitive-cs-go","isNewTab":true}]

EliGE

mopoz

tabseN

s1mple

Brehze

KRIMZ

rain

We are now less than one week away from the start of the much-awaited IEM Rio Major in Brazil. To ease the waiting time, we have created a countdown series, where we dive into the history of all 17 Majors. Today we have reached IEM Katowice Major 2019.

Astralis (Xyp9x – device – dupreeh – Magisk - gla1ve)

 Cache, Dust2, Inferno, Mirage, Nuke, Overpass, Train.

The IEM Katowice 2019 was a much-awaited Major tournament among the CS:GO community. 24 teams, and thousands of fans from all over the world, assembled in Katowice, Poland to witness an even full of emotions and magic. It was the 14th Major Championship in CS:GO history and the third to be played in Katowice.

Astralis were the clear favorites going into the tournament. The Danes had already cemented themselves as a strong team that was very difficult to beat, having won the previous Major in dominating fashion. However, winning the trophy and the majority of the prize pool wouldn’t come that easy. Their rivals in this new era of Counter-Strike, Team Liquid, among other strong teams, were not willing to go down without a war.

Many fans expected the Grand final to be between Astralis and Liquid due to the level that both teams showed at previous events. But things didn’t turn out as expected.

At the IEM Katowice 2019 Major event in Katowice, the Finnish team from ENCE showed the world what they were made of through unbelievable performances. This is their journey from the European Minor all the way to the Grand finals.

Back in October 2018, ENCE came out on top with title victories at StarSeries and i-League Season 6, taking down the juggernauts on their way across the finish line. The Finnish team slowly started to make themselves a name within the CS:GO scene and gave fans the feeling that they were capable of much more.

Flashforward three months in arguably the toughest Minor pool and ENCE were able to surface at the top, securing their ticket to Poland for the Challengers Stage in Katowice. After dominating teams with stellar performances, ENCE advanced into a more heated arena in the Legends stage, where they faced serious complications as they were on the brink of elimination after falling into the 0-2 bracket. But ENCE didn’t let themselves affect of their losses and went on to conquer the likes of BIG, G2, and AVANGAR in a sequence of bo3 to advance into the Top 8.

While the playoffs backet spelled a Astralis vs. Team Liquid Grand final initially, ENCE weren’t done carving out their mark at this tournament just yet.

In the quarter-finals of the tournament, ENCE surprisingly proved to be the better team despite having players competing professionally for the first time. They made an unreal comeback against the North-American side from Team Liquid to eliminate them with a 2-0 victory. The Finns then went ahead to play against NAVI in the semi-finals, whom they also took down in stunning fashion to reach the finals. ENCE beating NAVI in the semi-finals conceded the feeling that this team deserved it, and they did.

The Danes lived up to the status of being the favorites. Starting with the New Legends Stage, gla1ve and company were never really in trouble. After making short work of Complexity and Clodu9, only Renegades were able to win a map against the Danes, after winning Mirage in overtime. Once Astralis got onto their strongest maps, Inferno and Nuke, it turned into yet another comfortable victory for them. The playoffs were not that dangerous for Astralis either. Ninjas in Pyjamas and the Brazilians from MIBR made it close on Overpass and Dust2 respectively, but on the other maps, Astralis dominated.

After taking out the Finns from ENCE in the final with another 2-0 result, Astralis had managed to go through yet another Major playoff without dropping a single map. Their teamplay, utility usage, and ability to play comfortably on all of the maps shined through once again, but even their individual players were at the top of their game. Many could easily have made an argument for either Xyp9x or device taking the MVP award instead of Magisk, and it just shows how dominant the Danes were throughout the tournament. With their victory in Katowice, the Danes cemented their status as the greatest team in CS:GO history without a doubt, and they didn’t plan to slow down anytime soon.

Highest rated players at IEM Katowice 2019 Major

1. {cflag:DK} Nicolai “device” Reedtz (Astralis) – 1.32 Rating 

2. {cflag:UA} Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev (NAVI) – 1.29 Rating 

3. {cflag:DK} Andreas ”Xyp9x” Højsleth (Astralis) – 1.29 Rating 

4. {cflag:DK} Emil ”Magisk” Reif (Astralis) – 1.28 Rating 

5. {cflag:BR} Marcelo “coldzera” David (MIBR) – 1.26 Rating 

6. {cflag:DK} Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen (Astralis) – 1.24 Rating 

7. {cflag:CA} Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz (Complexity) – 1.20 Rating 

8. {cflag:BR} Fernando “fer” Alvarenga (MIBR) – 1.20 Rating 

9. {cflag:RU} Egor “flamie” Vasilyev (NAVI) – 1.20 Rating 

10. {cflag:US} Vincent ”Brehze” Cayonte (NRG) – 1.19 Rating

Tomorrow we take a look at the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019.

device

ENCE

We are now only one week away from the start of the much-awaited IEM Rio Major in Brazil. To ease the waiting time, we have created a countdown series, where we dive into the history of all 17 Majors. Today we have reached ELEAGUE Major: Atlanta 2017.

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 Astralis (Kjaerbye, Xyp9x, dupreeh, gla1ve, device)

 Cache, Cobblestone, Dust2, Mirage, Nuke, Overpass, Train.

ELEAGUE Major: Atlanta 2017 was the tenth CS:GO Major tournament in the history of the game and was held from January 22 – January 29, 2017 in the G-FUEL ELEAGUE Arena in Atlanta USA. Like the two previous Majors, this one also featured a total prize pool of $1,000,000 with 16 teams competing for the lions share.

The ELEAGUE Major in Atlanta was arguably one of the best tournaments for Astralis. The Danish powerhouse managed to beat everyone who had stopped them in the past during Major playoffs. In the quarter-finals they took down NAVI to advance to the semi-finals where they came out on top against fnatic and secured a spot in the Grand final. The Grand final was played against the Polish squad from Virtus.pro who had only lost one map in the tournament, and the match turned out to be a really dramatic one.

More than 1.2 million viewers tuned in to watch the ELEAGUE Major 2017 Grand final from Atlanta, setting a new record for CS:GO audiences as the Danes defeated the legendary squad from Virtus.pro to make CS:GO history. This is how it all went down.

Placed 4th on the world rankings at the time and going into the Major as favorites as their form was at the highest level since 2014, the Danes from Astralis had the pressure on them going into the ELEAGUE Major 2017. With the help form their newly acquired sports psychologist, their stars in Kjaerbye and device hitting new levels, a new tactical approach from gla1ve, and the clutch-king of Xyp9x also reaching new levels of winning 1vsX situations, Astralis were able to go all the way to the grand final, where they would take upon the Polish squad from Virtus.pro, who were looking for their second Major championship and first significant victory in some time.

The action of the Grand final started on VP’s pick of Nuke, where the Polish squad was able to end the first half with a 9-6 advantage, thanks in part to the efforts of Snax who stepped up huge and held off the retake of B site in a 1v3 situation. Astralis gained momentum in the second half after they won the pistol round, but ultimately fell as pashaBiceps and company went on to close the map 12-16.

Virtus.pro secured an almost unwinnable 2v3 in the first pistol round on Overpass, defusing the bomb in the last possible moment. However, Astralis replied with a forcebuy victory thanks to dupreeh’s quad kill that helped the Danes take the early lead on their map pick. The Polish squad struggled to deal with Astralis’ slow, execute based tactics, which resulted in the Danes finishing their T side with a 9-6 lead. After some back-and-forth action in the second half, Virtus.pro caught up, taking the lead for the first time in the map with a 14-13 scoreline, and were on the brink of closing it out. But Astralis’ Kjaerbye stepped up huge and won a 1v1 situation against Snax to keep his team in the game and allow them to close out Overpass 16-14 to force the third map, Train.

On the decider of Train, Virtus.pro started off strong and quickly strung together seven consecutive rounds in a row, capitalizing on Astralis’ low economy. After that, Astralis managed to save an AWP and avoid being reset, starting to mount their comeback.

Virtus.pro switched to the defense with a 9-6 advantage, and even extended their lead to hit twelve rounds on the scoreboard before the Danes climbed their way back into the game. Astralis fought their heart out and lowered their deficit to only one round, but things started to look very tough for Astralis when VP secured the following round (12-14). However, the Danes didn’t get affected by looking at the scoreboard and despite Astralis’ anti-eco mishap in the ensuing round, gla1ve and company recovered and closed out the final map 16-14 to get the job done.

The Major Grand final delivered a five-hour long battle full of quality.

The previous Major, before the ELEAGUE Major: Atlanta 2017 made the Danes reconsider their leadership structure. And most importantly, they were positively surprised by their substitute from Cologne, Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander who helped out the team. Astralis ended up replacing Finn “karrigan” Andersen, who went on to join FaZe Clain and signed gla1ve instead.

This was the final push the Danish squad needed to become a world-class team in CS:GO and win their first Major together. Their success continued on, but the Danes weren’t able to win the second Major of the year.

It was obvious that it was due to Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye not fitting in. After being crowned as the Major MVP, the pressure got to him and he didn’t feel comfortable in the team anymore. At the beginning of 2018, Kjaerbye left Astralis on short notice and joined their rivals from North.

Kjaerbye was never able to climb back to the very pinnacle of Counter-Strike after leaving Astralis, while his former teammates went on an era-defining run.

The Dane announced his retirement at the age of 23 on June 30th, 2021, bringing to a close his 7 years as a top player.

Highest rated players at ELEAGUE Major 2017

1. {cflag:RU} Egor “flamie” Vasilyev (NAVI) – 1.36 Rating 

2. {cflag:KZ} Dauren ”AdreN” Kystaubayev (Gambit) – 1.34 Rating 

3. {cflag:US} Jonathan ”EliGE” Jablonowski (Liquid) – 1.30 Rating 

4. {cflag:DK} Nicolai “device” Reedtz (Astralis) – 1.29 Rating 

5. {cflag:PL} Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski (Virtus.pro) – 1.28 Rating 

6. {cflag:BR} Marcelo “coldzera” David (SK Gaming) – 1.28 Rating 

7. {cflag:SE} Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson (GODSENT) – 1.26 Rating 

8. {cflag:DK} Emil “Magisk” Reif (North) – 1.24 Rating 

9. {cflag:FR} Kenny “kennyS” Schrub (Envy) – 1.22 Rating 

10. {cflag:DK} Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye (Astralis) – 1.21 Rating

Astralis secured their first Major, but the story of the Danes is far from over yet. Stay tuned for our upcoming articles of this series to find out how Astralis cemented themselves as the best team in the world.

Tomorrow we take a look at the PGL Major Kraków 2017.

Kjaerbye

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.

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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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Zyphon

Staehr

blameF

Farlig

Lucky

k0nfig

On the final day of the BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2022 Astralis, unfortunately for the many Danish CS:GO fans, fell short of their goal of qualifying for the Royal Arena in Copenhagen when they were met by an in-form FaZe roster. 

Whilst the brawl lasted all three maps and Astralis had control in some periods of the Bo3-series, it seemed as if the Danes were somewhat fatigued and struggled with keeping up with the explosive FaZe roster. This might be down to the fact that Astralis, alongside the BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2022 event, were fighting for a spot in the upcoming Major through the open RMR qualifiers. 

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We spoke with Clutch Minister "Xyp9x" just after the clash with FaZe and the tough loss that followed entering the server against "karrigan" and his troops. The experienced Dane, although disappointed in the final result, seemed optimistic and positive about what Astralis had shown against the in-form FaZe boys and stressed that playing for Major qualification simultaneously might have impacted the result: 

See what else "Xyp9x" had to say after suffering a loss to FaZe on the final day of BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2022 down below: 

To perform at the highest level of professional Counter-Strike you have to have veins of ice when it comes down to the important moments of any big game. Whilst most, if not any professional player seems to have mastered the ability to remain calm in pressured situations, there are just a handful that can seemingly freeze time once pressured. 

These kinds of players are most often the ones that you would want alive and kicking from your team when a clutch is demanded. By many argued as the best clutcher in the history of CS:GO is the Danish icon that is "Xyp9x". 

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Yesterday the 26-year-old veteran proved once again why he is known as the Clutch minister. Battling against Bluejays on Astralis' road to qualifying for the Major, "Xyp9x" was left alone with nothing but himself and a Tec-9 against four opponents. Managing the impossible, the Danish rifler turned the round on its head singlehandedly and made sure that Astralis was that step closer to a spot in the Major - take a look: 

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Astralis has been one of the positive surprises at IEM Cologne. The Danish CS:GO powerhouse qualified for the playoffs at the LAN event with a comfortable 2-0 win against Cloud9.

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Among the best in the match for Astralis was Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth, who especially on Inferno had a big impact. A welcoming experience for the 26-year-old player, who has seen his share of criticism this year after some lackluster performances.

	30 days	90 days
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Xyp9x

Player stats

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