Benjamin “blameF” Bremer and Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke have joined Astralis, according to a statement released by the team. The Danish organization also brought on Alexander “ave” Held as the new head coach. They will be replacing Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen, Emil “Magisk” Reif and Danny “zonic” Sørensen, respectively, whose contracts expire in Jan.
Astralis recently played in the PGL Stockholm Major, where they were eliminated in the New Legends stage after going 1-3. The early exit accelerated changes to the roster, though they’ve reportedly been in the works for months.
Both blameF and k0nfig come from Complexity, a team that is now undergoing a rebuild. k0nfig had been on medical leave from the team since August. 17, 2021, when he injured his wrist and underwent surgery to repair the damage. BlameF only parted ways with the org on Oct. 29. Ave is returning to competitive CS after fulfilling his 6-month ban for exploiting a coach spectating bug during his time with North.
Really happy to announce that I’ll be playing with the red @astralisgg logo on my shirt from now on. This is my passion, my future and my home. Thanks Astralis for giving me this oppertunity to show who I really am. https://t.co/qhyWHMlu2B
— Kristian Wienecke (@k0nfig) November 4, 2021
“I’m really looking forward to getting started,” blameF said in a tweet. “When Astralis calls, you need really good arguments to hang up, and the conversations I’ve had confirm my impression: This is where I want to be now and going forwards! These are some huge shoes to fill in, but I also feel I can bring something new to the team and make a real difference.”
Although blameF fulfilled the in-game leader role for Complexity, he will be stepping back to “concentrate more on my own game.” This allows Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander the opportunity to continue in the IGL capacity for Astralis.
For Astralis, it’s the end of an era. The team has accrued four major wins — more than any other team — with three of them in a row. They have wracked up more than $7,900,000 in earnings. When Magisk joined the team in 2018, the team catapulted to become the best squad Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has ever fielded. Now, only Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth and gla1ve remain from the roster, both having re-signed contracts with Astralis.
“I have tremendous respect for everything Astralis has achieved through the years, and I am very aware we are taking over after some extremely popular players,” k0nfig said. “It only motivates me even more! Naturally, we are not those guys, but we are here to build on what they have achieved and to take the next big steps in the Astralis journey together with all the fans, partners and people following us.”
At present, Astralis field a six-man roster. Their team is as follows:
Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander
Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth
Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen
Philip “Lucky” Ewald
Benjamin “blameF” Bremer
Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke
