2 Astralis legends benched following org’s major signings for CS2 roster

Astralis had the greatest run in CS:GO history in 2018 and 2019 with the lineup of dev1ce, dupreeh, Xyp9x, gla1ve, and Magisk. Two of these players, dupreeh and Magisk, just won the Paris Major with Vitality. The other three still remain on Astralis. That might not be the case for long, however, since the organization announced the signing of two new players today and the benching of two Astralis legends.

Astralis already started dismantling its remaining legendary three-man core when it sent Xyp9x to the academy team back in April. The organization’s plan to potentially do something similar with gla1ve was reported yesterday, indicating that the team was likely looking to make more moves.

Astralis has now confirmed the addition of two new players, Staehr and b0RUP. The signing of Staehr was expected as reports suggested Astralis has been interested in acquiring the now-former Sprout player for a while. The move for b0RUP is what caught many people off guard. The 23-year-old was a free agent, having last played for Copenhagen Flames, and seemingly wasn’t on many people’s radar as a potential Astralis signing.

Youngster Staehr was expected to take over gla1ve’s spot on the Astralis roster, but the addition of b0RUP is bad news for another teenager. Altekz, who was brought in from the academy squad in a swap for Xyp9x, was seen as an integral part of the Astralis project for CS2. Management apparently sees things differently, though, and Altekz is once again being relegated to the academy.

These transactions leave both gla1ve and Xyp9x firmly sitting on the Astralis bench. Xyp9x won’t even be competing for the academy squad now that Altekz is moving back down the ladder. All signs are pointing to an inevitable separation between these two legends of the game and the Astralis organization that they accomplished so much with.

Xyp9x and gla1ve won four Major titles with Astralis, three of which were consecutive during that unmatched 2018 to 2019 period of domination, as well as many other collective and individual honors. Recent results have been admittedly poor, however, which prompted Astralis to make roster and staff changes.

The two legends’ future with the org is unclear at this stage, but gla1ve is certainly excited for whatever it may hold. “I’m taking a seat on the bench,” gla1ve said in his first tweet following the announcement. “With Astralis, I’ve created life-long memories and I’ll forever cherish that. I’ll continue to support from the sideline! Thanks to all supporters for standing by me and the team through the years. Just know, I’m excited for what the future holds.”

Dev1ce is now the last man standing from the legendary Astralis lineup. We dare to call out the irony of the situation considering he was the first one to leave in April 2021.