After sitting out the RMR on paternity leave, Gla1ve will return to lead Astralis at the Major, replacing Bubzkji on the Active Roster. Astralis will be hoping to defend their Major title once again and adding a 5th to their cabinet.
Astralis have announced that 4 out of the Greatest team of All-time, will be playing at the PGL Major Stockholm. Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander will be stepping back into the server in place of young star Lucas "Bubzkji" Andersen. This comes after Gla1ve missed the RMR event as he was on paternity leave, but after the birth of his son, he is ready to step back in to defend his major title.
For Bubzkji this is a devastating loss as he played a crucial role in securing the Major slot for Astralis, posting up big numbers in many of the squad's games at IEM Fall. The former Mad Lions player was going to play his first-ever major, and will now be forced to watch from the sidelines. Bubzkji is used to being left on the bench as he spent many months in 2020, waiting to get a starting spot on the roster, and was only added to the squad when Device moved to the Ninjas in Pyjamas.
Astralis Director of Sports, Kasper Hvidt talked about the decision in the announcement,
"It is never easy to take a player out of the starting line-up and with Lucas, it can seem a bit unfair as, no matter the circumstances, he has been a true professional and always delivered his best on and off the server. Danny and I have had a good talk with Lucas about the decision. He is disappointed, but he also knows he is a big part of the team, and he will give his best to help out."
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Gunning for the 5th Major
With 4 of the defending major lineup, and young AWPer Lucky taking the place of Device, Astralis may not be the unstoppable beasts they once were. But with most of the current top teams lacking LAN experience, and the added pressure of the crowd and the Major, Astralis are a huge darkhorse for the PGL Major Stockholm.
With gla1ve, Xyp9x, dupreeh, Magisk, and Lucky we bring 4 Major winners and a young, raw talent, which gives us a great combination of young energy, hunger, experience, skills, and in-game cleverness that only a few teams can match.
The switch will cost Astralis 20% of their RMR points. But with their massive points lead over ENCE, they will still be the 4th highest ranked EU team. Xyp9x would've been considered the most likely to sit the Major. Hhe has previously talked about maybe moving away from Astralis after his contract runs out. But instead, Bubzkji finds himself on the bench as Astralis hopes to add a 5th Major trophy to their cabinet.
Astralis' PGL Major Stockholm roster will be:
- Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen
- Andreas "Xyp9x" Højsleth
- Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander
- Emil "Magisk" Reif
- Philip "Lucky" Ewald
- Danny "zonic" Sørensen (coach)
The PGL Stockholm Major starts on October 26 with the Champions Stage taking place at the Avicii Arena. 24 teams will battle it out for a $2 Million prize pool in the first Major in two years.
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