Rumor: Magisk to return to Astralis CS2 roster, stavn moving to the bench

A new report has claimed that four-time CS:GO Major winner Magisk is set to return to Astralis, the team where he won three of his four most significant trophies. The move would see the Dane reunite with AWPer dev1ce, after almost four years away from the organization.

Magisk previously spent almost four years on the Astralis lineup between the start of 2018 and the end of 2021. During this time, he secured his legacy as one of Counter-Strike’s greatest-ever anchors, before moving on to Vitality and later Falcons. Throughout his stint with the latter, his form began to falter, and he was eventually benched by Falcons in June 2025 to make way for kyousuke.

Magisk could return to Astralis in place of stavn

According to a new report from neL, Astralis are looking to move for Magisk as a way to “bring more stability and experience into the lineup,” although nothing has been signed between any party at the moment. If it comes to fruition, Magisk would seemingly come in for stavn, who has struggled to find his feet at Astralis since joining the organization in controversial fashion almost two years ago.

Astralis eyeing Magisk to replace stavn. Here is my report.

After missing out on five Majors in a row and reportedly being close to bankruptcy, Astralis has found a more stable path following the arrival of 🇩🇰 Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen last June to replace 🇩🇰 Casper “cadiaN”… pic.twitter.com/XwgoPhxqfA

— neL (@neLendirekt) August 30, 2025

Astralis have previously missed out on five consecutive Majors, which reportedly put the organization in serious financial peril. However, their place at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 already seems guaranteed as long as they keep their VRS core together, which could open the door on the financial side for Magisk to arrive.

Is Magisk the answer for Astralis?

Sometimes, goodbyes are best left at that. But should this move for Magisk materialize, it would represent Astralis looking over its shoulder at past glories and trying to replicate what it once had. Would it be smarter for Astralis to simply let the memories with Magisk be just that, or can this really be something that takes Astralis to the top?

Personally, I’m unconvinced of the move. Throughout 2025, Magisk has had a pretty torrid time with a 0.97 rating, and he looks a far cry from the player he once was. As always, he’s naturally going to look worse in tough spots, as is the story of his career. But this doesn’t feel like it moves the needle for Astralis in any way. Sure, stavn hasn’t looked his best for a long time, but I’m just not sure that Magisk in 2025 is really the answer. Still, consider my interest piqued – keep an eye on this one as it develops.