Earlier today, Astralis announced the return of Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander to their starting roster. Unfortunately, as a result of this decision, Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen won’t be going to the Major. The news came in with less than two weeks separating us from the start of the PGL Major. The Great Danes decided to alter their starting roster for the upcoming PGL Major since they won’t lose their RMR status after the points deduction. Astralis opted for experience and team cohesion in their decision to choose gla1ve, instead of in-form Bubzkji, who’s been an important part of their team since gla1ve’s parental leave.

SPUNJ was never going to not swear over this. We have to feel sorry for Bubzkji – he was one of the leading figures for the team, helping them qualify for the event… the event he won’t even participate in.

There was plenty of speculation surrounding Astralis’ roster for the upcoming Major. We all knew their IGL, gla1ve, was to return following the birth of his child. What we didn’t know was who’s going to exit the main roster after he returns to the starting roster.

Xyp9x had been labeled as the main candidate to see the exit door ahead of the Major as he’s been rumored to depart from Astralis following the end of his contract at the end of 2021. However, the 23-year-old Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen was dropped instead, prompting a public outcry on Twitter with fans supporting the young Danish prodigy.

“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,” Astralis’ Director of Sports, Kasper Hvidt, said.

Looking at the current Astralis roster, we have to say it does look formidable. The four-man core is still there, consisting of dupreeh, gla1ve, Magisk, and Xyp9x. Lucky will be AWPing instead of device, which is the only change from Astralis’ legendary roster that won four Majors thus far.

Can the 18-year-old Philip “Lucky” Ewald provide the magic spark and lead Astralis to their fifth Major trophy? We’ll find out pretty soon!