Astralis make hot start under HooXi at PGL Astana 2025, but is it too late to save this team?

Astralis are off to a flying start at PGL Astana 2025, with stand-in IGL HooXi delivering the goods in consecutive matches against ODDIK and paiN Gaming. He’s even put up respectable numbers on an individual level, averaging a 0.99 rating over the two series – a far cry from his final days in G2.

We’re not about being reactive here, though. Beating ODDIK and paiN Gaming is the bare minimum expectation for even the worst versions of Astralis, so it’s hard to say that they’re “back” after going 2:0 in the PGL Astana Group Stage so far. It’s a step in the right direction, regardless.

But why have Astralis made such a hot start in Astana? Is it sustainable, or has HooXi’s arrival come just too late to save this team? Let’s discuss.

HooXi may have unlocked stavn and improved dev1ce

It’s early days, of course, but HooXi’s presence appears to have unlocked a new level in stavn, who, at a 1.60 rating, is the highest-rated player at the event. How much of that is down to the IGL? It’s difficult to say, but he had completely stopped delivering for the team by the time cadiaN’s reign came to an end. He looks sharper than he has in some time, and given HooXi’s past of putting his riflers in the right place, it’s not hard to see how he might have been a massive factor in this.

I’m stopping short of saying stavn is totally back – he has always had a reputation as being a bit of a Group Stage merchant, so we’ll need to see how he does should Astralis reach the Playoffs of PGL Astana 2025 (as you’d expect them to at this point).

I’ve also been impressed by what we’ve seen out of dev1ce under HooXi. Lest we forget that this is the IGL that finally got the best out of m0NESY on G2, a task which Aleksib failed at. Some captains are simply an AWPer’s dream, and it seems that HooXi has a habit of getting the best from his snipers. It’s always great to see dev1ce in top form, and with a 1.30 rating at PGL Astana 2025 so far, he’s putting on a show for this event.

Rumors of bankruptcy linger like a shadow over Astralis

Despite their early wins at PGL Astana 2025, it’s difficult for me to get invested in anything Astralis do at the moment. The recent rumors of bankruptcy linger, with no sign of a buyer in sight. Astralis feel like they’re in ruin, in more ways than one, and it truly seems as though this lineup is at the end of the line. If not directly after PGL Astana 2025, then it may not be long after that.

It’s rumored there’s a reason HooXi hasn’t been given a longer-term contract beyond this event, with hints that Astralis are simply trying to fulfill event commitments on a shoestring budget while desperately scrambling to find a buyer. After five consecutive missed Majors, the financial peril seems to finally be setting in for the legendary organization, who were once the Counter-Strike pride of Denmark.

There’s a bitter irony to Astralis immediately looking better with HooXi at the helm, only to no longer have the runway to keep him around long enough to make a real difference. An organization that has made the wrong choice at seemingly every turn finally gets it right, but it’s too late. Let’s see what happens with Astralis – perhaps there’s more life in them yet. If nothing else, let’s hope they give something for fans to cheer for on the way out at PGL Astana 2025.