The Rise and Ruin of Astralis: When The Stars Misaligned for the Danes

Once upon a team in CS:GO, there was a legendary team. The kind of team that inspires shonen writers. A group of five individuals who were a perfect blend in their own roles and together, they became a monster that reached unprecedented heights.

They were untouchable. At a time when a generational phenomenon like s1mple seemed destined for insurmountable glory, he too was rendered mortal against them. Even FaZe’s super team, constructed with the best possible player for each role—were made to look like children in the face of their teamwork. Their absolutism was a reign of such crushing superiority that it redefined the meta.

So oppressive was their dominance that it drove even a two-time Major MVP coldzera to gamble everything and join FaZe just to take them down, a move that ultimately cost him his career. A great team earns respect; a legendary one warps perception. This team was so suffocatingly dominant that even the joy of competition began to dissolve. Some fans, disillusioned by the inevitability of it all, turned apathetic.

In a game where winning a single Major is the crowning achievement of a career, they won not once, not twice, but five times. A tally that eclipsed the combined Major titles of s1mple, coldzera, ZywOo, and NiKo. Their might was imperious, their dominance unassailable.

And yet, as perishable as all things are, even their era bowed to the unrelenting erosion of time. Their downfall played out like a symphony of irony, for it was not a rival that felled them, but their own selves.

This was Astralis. The mighty. The puissant. The invincible. Until their own hands brought about their undoing.

The Birth of Astralis

It was the year 2016 when the roster of TSM, comprising karrigan, Xyp9x, device, dupreeh, and cajunb, a team consistently ranked among the world’s top three, decided to sever ties with the organization due to internal discord. For over a month, they wandered without a banner, competing under the name Team ?. Eventually, the roster chose to take destiny into their own hands. Backed by Frederik Byskov and Jakob Lund Kristensen, they founded their own organization – Astralis, in January 2016.

Expectations had always loomed large over the Danes, yet the change of crest did little to lift their curse of choking when the stakes soared. Semi-final exits at IEM Katowice 2016 and MLG Columbus 2016 cast a long shadow over Astralis’ nascent days. Though they were the best team Denmark had to offer, they were chasing international conquest with an empty trophy cabinet, and doubt began to take roots..

In pursuit of transcendence, the team swapped cajunb for the young phenom Kjaerbye from Dignitas in May. Unshackled, Kjaerbye burst forth with promise, but his brilliance didn’t bloom into results. In September, Astralis lost WESG 2016 Denmark to Dignitas. The same Dignitas that had handed over Kjaerbye, with cajunb returning to haunt them as the highest-rated player in the final. Astralis were no longer even Denmark’s best.

They were slipping. Once a top-three team in HLTV rankings, they tumbled out of the top 10. A bigger reckoning was needed. Karrigan, the architect of the old guard, was benched over differing philosophies. After more than two weeks of uncertainty, Astralis brought in gla1ve from Heroic, a 21-year-old in-game leader for whom the call-up was a dream. Little did he know, his dreams would soon stretch far beyond the firmament.

The Team That Couldn’t Stop Winning

Gla1ve joined Astralis in late October with less than two moons to prepare for the ELEAGUE Major 2017. Early signs were auspicious, Astralis claimed victory at the ECS Season 2 Finals, their first piece of silver. Then came the Major, and with it, their coronation. In a tournament where NAVI and SK were favourites to win, Astralis stormed the summit like dark horses galloping out of myth. It would not be the last time their name echoed at the top.

With that, Astralis soared up the world rankings to seize the throne. Their next conquest was IEM Katowice 2017. While the rest of the year brought no more grand trophies, they held steadfast within the top five, a constant drumbeat of excellence. However, at ELEAGUE Major 2018, their form collapsed like a house of cards. And then came a shock from within: in early 2018, Major MVP Kjaerbye left the fold for North. Astralis aimed for k0nfig as a replacement, but landed with Magisk instead, securing the final cog in their soon-to-be-unstoppable machine.

The skyward climb began after IEM Katowice 2018. Astralis reeled off an avalanche of victories: ECS Season 5 Europe, DreamHack Masters Marseille 2018, ESL Pro League Season 7 Finals, ECS Season 5 Finals, ELEAGUE Premier 2018. It was almost a perfect streak, broken only by a few second place finishes. Yet they weren’t done. Of the next 13 events they entered, they won 11. Included in this treasure trove were the FACEIT Major 2018, IEM Chicago 2018, EPL Season 8, and BLAST Pro Series Lisbon 2018.

If 2018 was the year of titles, 2019 was the year of Majors. Astralis won IEM Katowice 2019 and the StarLadder Berlin Major, taking the count of stars on their jersey to four. They added BLAST Pro Series São Paulo, IEM Beijing, ECS Season 8 Finals, the BLAST Pro Series Global Final, and IEM Global Challenge to their overflowing ledger.

2018 and 2019 were Astralis’ annus mirabilis. And they did it without having a #1 ranked player donning their jersey. Instead, their cast included a group of qualified stars: device ranked #2 in 2018, then #3 in both 2019 and 2020; gla1ve was #8 in 2018; Magisk #7 in 2018 and #5 in 2019; dupreeh #5 in 2018 and #16 in 2019; Xyp9x was #13 in 2018 and #14 in 2019. No matter the list, Astralis was etched into the legend.

The Misstep of Signing an Extended roster

The tide turned in early 2020. In March, Astralis ventured into uncharted waters: they signed es3tag to create a six-man rotation, aiming to protect player health and longevity. Then came JUGi in May, and not long after, gla1ve took a medical leave, handing leadership to Magisk.

Soon after, Xyp9x followed gla1ve on medical leave. Snappi was brought in as a stand-in. In July, Astralis signed Bubzkji, taking the roster to eight. JUGi, after only 15 maps and a 0.87 rating, was released. Bubzkji and es3tag debuted at ESL One Cologne, but results still remained lackluster 9–12th at DreamHack Masters Spring, 5–8th at ESL One Cologne Europe, and 7–8th at BLAST Premier Spring Showdown.

In September, gla1ve returned, and instantly, Astralis won ESL Pro League Season 12 Europe. But Magisk still helmed the in-game calls until gla1ve reclaimed the role at Road to Rio: Europe. Xyp9x returned before BLAST Premier Fall 2020, and Astralis ended the year on a high note, winning DreamHack Masters Winter and the IEM Global Challenge.

The Fall of the Greats

Astralis’ experiment with an extended roster was quietly shelved. Despite a strong end to 2020, cracks had begun to show. At the outset of 2021, Astralis reached the final of BLAST Premier Global Final 2021, only to fall to NAVI. But what followed was a downward spiral, Astralis had been slowly turning into a shadow of their former self, unable to breach the top four in major events.

Then came the big blow in April, when Astralis exited BLAST Premier Spring Showdown 2021 in last place. Amid a string of poor performances, device hinted at changes. But none foresaw that it would be him who would leave Astralis for NIP. To patch the hole, Astralis turned again to Bubzkji. Without an AWPer for four months, they endured, before signing Lucky in August. But the device-shaped void was cavernous. The results fell short of legacy, and the repercussions were swift.

By year’s end, after only managing a 12-14th rank at PGL Major Stockholm 2021, dupreeh, Magisk, and coach zonic departed to Vitality. Astralis onboarded blameF, k0nfig, and coach ave. Hopes were pinned on their rebirth in 2022 with two of the hottest Danish prospects. In February, Farlig replaced Lucky. Yet turbulence persisted. Astralis failed to get past the Challengers Stage of the PGL Antwerp Major 2022.

In September, Astralis benched k0nfig following an off-server altercation in Malta. For the RMR leading up to IEM Rio, the team fielded academy player MistR as a stand-in, but failed to qualify for the Major. As the year drew to a close, Astralis made several changes: casle replaced ave as head coach, MistR was dropped for Buzz, but, most importantly for Astralis, device returned to the roster in place of farlig.

But the specter of misfortune continued to follow them. Even with a lineup boasting device, Xyp9x, gla1ve, blameF, and Buzz, Astralis failed to qualify for the Paris Major. And in a stroke of cruel poetic irony, their hopes were dashed by none other than k0nfig’s Ninjas in Pyjamas, who bested them in the 1–2 bracket. Missing two consecutive Majors was a clarion call for change. In April 2023, Xyp9x was relegated to the Academy roster. Then in June, gla1ve was benched.

To breathe new life into the project, Astralis signed b0RUP and Staehr, handing the reins to blameF as in-game leader. But the best they could muster through the remainder of the year was a solitary top-four finish at IEM Cologne 2023. Then, in a move as controversial as it was ambitious, Astralis replaced b0RUP and Buzz with Heroic’s Stavn and Jabbi entrusting them to lead the fortress into the CS2 era.

Five missed Majors scarred their legacy

The PGL Major 2024 in Copenhagen arrived, and once more, Astralis faltered. They failed to qualify. And the vicious cycle of changing leadership continued. In February, with pressure mounting, blameF was benched, and the only star of the once-glorious Astralis, device, stepped into the IGL role.

But it didn’t take Astralis long to recognize that the path was untenable, Astralis made yet another shift, signing cadiaN as their rifling IGL in a move shrouded in controversy around the  “br0 is sick” dialogue. And as fate would have it, device was sidelined for the Shanghai Major RMR, and br0 returned to fill the gap. But adversity had already picked its favourite child, and once again, Astralis missed out. The organization that once carved its name into the annals of CS history had now missed five consecutive Majors.

And now, once again, the cycle resets. Astralis have benched their IGL, this time placing their hopes in HooXi to take the helm.  But darker omens dance on the horizon, as reports suggest that Astralis is looking to sell the org, and the entire CS division. Some sources claim the deal is already done, and that the squad will soon compete under a new name at PGL Astana 2025.

And so, this is how the saga may close. From feared to forgotten. The org that held the record for most consecutive days at the #1 spot with 406 days, has only once touched the top 5 spot in the last two and a half years. They once stood at the very top of Counter Strike, moulding the meta as they pleased, setting the standard for what greatness looked like. But now, they stand before the ashes of their imperium, waiting to be forgotten by the game they once sublimated.