Xyp9x, one of the core CS:GO players on Astralis, has left the team for the time being and has been replaced by head coach Danny “zonic” Sørensen in recent practices, according to a report by Jarek “DeKay” Lewis.
The motive and the length of Xyp9x’s absence are still unknown but the 24-year-old will at least sit out for the DreamHack Masters Spring Europe, according to DeKay. Astralis saw its in-game leader gla1ve step back from competing earlier this month due to medical reasons related to burnout and stress.
The Danes are using Jakob “JUGi” Hansen, who signed with Astralis this month, instead of gla1ve. Astralis have reportedly asked Heroic about Patrick “es3tag” Hansen and Ninjas in Pyjamas for Jonas “Lekr0” Olofson, who was benched last week, as possible replacements for Xyp9x. Es3tag has already signed with Astralis and is set to join the roster in July once his contract with Heroic expires.
Astralis, however, hasn’t come to a mutual agreement with NiP or Heroic yet. They’re scheduled to attend BLAST Premier Spring Showdown Europe on June 1 and may have to play with zonic if a proper replacement isn’t hired.
Astralis finished the DreamHack Masters Spring Europe group stage with two wins and one loss. It was their first tournament without gla1ve. The second phase of the event will start in two weeks, giving them some time to prepare without Xyp9x.
