Astralis Sports Director: The new A-team is a truly united squad



The sports director of Astralis has shared his thoughts on the team’s debut performance with their new roster at IEM Chengdu.

In the semi-finals of IEM Chengdu, FaZe defeated Astralis’ refreshed lineup 2-1 in a hard-fought match. This marked the second encounter between the two teams; in the group stage, the new-look Astralis had swept FaZe aside on both maps. However, in the semis, Finn Andersen | karrigan and his teammates emerged victorious, sending Astralis home with a top-four finish.

Following the conclusion of the event, Kasper Straube, the sports director of Astralis, reflected on the team’s Chinese journey, expressing disappointment at bowing out to a team they had previously defeated.

“We all hoped and believed that we could make it to the final, but we also have to acknowledge that FaZe has a consistent track record and the ability to reach finals. They had the strength to lift the trophy in Chengdu. On Nuke, it was a close contest, and if we had won there and carried our momentum into Ancient, it wouldn’t have been an issue. But that’s CS—sometimes small details decide matches.

Facing possibly the world’s best Nuke team, we fought them on equal terms and put up a strong response on Ancient. In the end, FaZe comfortably took Inferno, showing that we are still a young team in development compared to them.”

Straube: Our game mode and philosophy have made significant strides

In the semi-final, two Danish legends clashed once again as standout snipers device and karrigan faced off as team leaders. Device’s debut as the in-game leader saw him guide Astralis through the group stage without losing a map, advancing to the playoffs, and impressively, none of the teams that lost to Astralis managed more than seven rounds on any single map.

Despite falling short in the semis, this was Astralis’ best result since IEM Cologne 2023, and they were just one step away from the grand final. Straube expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance.

“I’m very pleased with how the team performed in Chengdu. We had ideal preparation, putting in a lot of work and planning for the offline event.”

“Compared to some other teams, we had great energy and a strong desire to win, which was evident in our gameplay. It was exciting to see the guys compete against the world’s best and hold their own. As a newly formed roster, we confirmed that we’re doing high-quality groundwork, and we need to build on that.

“Firstly, we’ve made significant progress in our game mode and philosophy. I could clearly sense some excellent procedural steps in our matches in Chengdu, and we’re now establishing the unique style of play we’ve been looking forward to.

“It’s hard to pinpoint why this process has gone so smoothly, but I see a genuinely united team working diligently towards a common goal. When you can achieve that, success often follows. We approached our trip to China cautiously, with clear plans to manage jet lag and other challenges that come with long-distance travel.”

Astralis’ next tournament will be EPL S19, where they will face Eternal Fire in their opening match.