Astralis have completed the signing of MAD Lions' Lucas "Bubzkji" Andersen. The team will not be moving to an eight-man roster, however. Jacob "JUGi" Hansen has been released from the team, which keeps the number of players on the roster at seven.
Astralis Add More Quality With Bubzkji
Astralis have broken the standard system in the past few months. They announced their intentions to expand their roster beyond the starting five with the signing of JUGi in May, followed by the addition of Patrick "es3tag" Hansen at the start of July. Their quest for top quality backups has led them to MAD Lions' Bubzkji. The 22-year-old was the team's top performer, but apparently something went wrong for him as reports on him being benched surfaced as early as June.
- READ MORE: Es3tag is Officially an Astralis Player
Here are the official statements from all parties involved:
Kasper Hvidt, Director of Sports, Astralis Group:
First of all, I want to thank JUGi for stepping in and taking on a huge task when we approached him. He is a top professional and under the right conditions he is an extremely skilled player. He has not had the chance to play his favourite position, though, and when looking ahead things would not change in any near future and we believe it is the best solution for all to make the change now. We can only give JUGi our best recommendations as we still believe he can again become a high impact player at the right team. We have looked for a skilled, hungry profile that could step right in and take his natural role on the team. Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen fulfils all these criteria and I am glad we have managed to secure his signature on a 2 year contract. As always it will take time to get used to Astralis’ playbook, but after talking with him, the coach and the team, I have no doubt Lucas will be able to contribute from day one.
Jacob "JUGi" Hansen:
Naturally I am dissapointed, but I also respect the decision and I am glad I had the chance to play for Astralis. They are great teammates with an organization around them who does everything to make the players feel good. With the outlook to play a different role than where I feel most comfortable, though, it is better for me to move on. I am convinced I could have done more here and I am confident I can contribute to any team.
Lucas "Bubzkji" Andersen:
When I heard about Astralis’ interest, I already made up my mind: I want to be a part of this team and this organization and this is where I want to play! I had other options, but after talking to “zonic” and Kasper about the role I will have, the ambitions of the team and how they work I am convinced I can contribute to the team and I can become a better player. Astralis leaves nothing to chance and I love their approach to the game. I know people will ask about the roster size, but for me it’s simple. Astralis has introduced a lot of new ideas to the way the game is played and it is done with one purpose: To become better as individuals and as a team - and to win. Introducing new ways to prepare and to improve is how they have managed to stay on top for years and even though I am very humble about this, I am so ready to be a part of the team and to work my butt off. For the team and for all the amazing fans.
Astralis' roster now comprises of the following players:
- Emil “Magisk” Reif
- Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen
- Lucas "Bubzkji" Andersen
- Patrick “es3tag” Hansen
- Nicolai “device” Reedtz
- Lucas “gla1ve” Rossander (on leave)
- Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth (on leave)
Astralis are on a break until the end of a week. A bootcamp will kick off on Monday in preparation for the first big test in front of the new lineup - ESL One Cologne, kicking off on August 18.
