Cadian in Astralis: Taking Over as Captain from Device and Reuniting with Former Teammates

Recently, Astralis didn't fare well at EPL Season 20, getting eliminated from the tournament. However, the organization surprised the community with a major roster change: the young player Br0 was replaced by the legendary captain Cadian, who immediately took on the role of team leader. Despite this, Device will retain his role as the primary AWPer.

Earlier this year, Device assumed captaincy for the first time in his career after BlameF's departure and Br0's arrival. Device explained this decision by expressing dissatisfaction with the team’s playstyle and his tactical vision. He admitted: "We weren’t playing the way I wanted. It made me reflect on how I want to approach this game. That’s how I came to the idea of becoming the captain." However, after a relatively successful start with four semifinal finishes at various tournaments (IEM Chengdu, EPL S19, CCT Global Finals 2024, Yalla Compass 2024), the team’s performance began to decline.

A recent comment from Device only confirmed this downturn: "The last two games were extremely disappointing for me as both captain and AWPer. I’m doing everything I can to get back on track." Now, the captaincy passes to Cadian in Astralis, while Device will return to his main role as the team’s sniper.

 

Welcome cadiaN ? Rifler & IGL pic.twitter.com/bd6poJn0zt

— Astralis Counter-Strike (@AstralisCS) September 17, 2024

Cadian and His Former Teammates: A Long-Awaited Reconciliation?

Cadian's return to the Danish CS scene would have been just another major transfer if it weren't for one significant detail: in Astralis, he will reunite with Jabbi and stavn, who excluded him from Heroic exactly a year ago. This decision sparked a wave of discussions within the community, as the team was at the peak of success at the time.

In Heroic’s press release following Cadian’s departure, it was noted that there were disagreements between the captain and the rest of the team about the roster’s future: "Kasper did an incredible job in building the team. We are proud to have worked with such a professional." However, just an hour after announcing Cadian's departure, the team also benched stavn and Jabbi, which came as a complete surprise to most fans.

Rumors suggested that stavn and Jabbi were the ones who initiated the decision to kick Cadian. Eventually, they left Heroic and joined Astralis for a substantial sum of $1.5 million. The players claimed that there were no prior arrangements with Astralis and that their decision to replace the captain was justified. However, the community reacted controversially, labeling the former Heroic players as “rats.”

Community Reaction

After the announcement of Cadian’s return to the same team with his former teammates, the reaction was explosive. The famous analyst Harumi sarcastically tweeted: "Wait, so Cadian is back with his two rats? AHAHAHAHAHA."

Meanwhile, Heroic, a symbol of the Danish CS scene, didn’t miss the opportunity to poke fun at their competitor. After Astralis was eliminated from the RMR for the Copenhagen Major, Heroic's SMM manager ironically wished everyone a “fantastic day,” which was immediately interpreted as subtle trolling.

However, Cadian himself stated that all conflicts are in the past: "I'm thrilled to have signed with Astralis. I understand some might see this as a controversial move, given my history with the team and past rivalries. Some may even question whether stepping away from the AWP is the right decision. But the truth is, I share the same vision as Astralis: always striving to be the best, building a top Danish CS roster, and competing for the biggest titles." He also emphasized that reuniting with his former teammates was an important step: "This reunion with Jabbi and stavn is, of course, exciting for all of us. We've addressed the challenges we faced in the past, and today we're fully aligned. After a year of reflection, we’re still hungry for trophies and continue to share the same tactical vision that drove our success before."

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Astralis’ Future with a New IGL

The first test for the revamped team will be the BLAST Premier Fall Final 2024, which will take place next week in Copenhagen. All eyes will be on Astralis and their new leader. Can Cadian lead the team to success despite past differences, or will old conflicts resurface?