Astralis have moved in-game leader Rasmus "HooXi" Nielsen and Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard to the bench with immediate effect, HLTV reported on October 9, breaking up the Danish core of the roster ahead of the Singapore Major.
The decision came two days after HLTV reported that the organization was looking for replacements for the pair, both of whom are in the final months of their contracts.
Jonas Gundersen, founder and CEO of Astralis' parent company Fusion Esports, announced the move on X. He said the two sides had mutually decided that the team would continue without HooXi and jabbi, whose contracts expire at the end of the year, and thanked both players for their work, including their part in the club's first LAN win since 2019.
Sometimes you need to fully close a chapter in order to create space for something new to grow.
Replacements
Former Liquid in-game leader Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek and Nikita "cmtry" Samolotov, who had been benched by FUT, are understood to be close to joining Astralis, according to HLTV. If those deals are completed, cmtry would give up the AWP and play as a rifler. HLTV said Astralis are expected to unveil their new players soon, and the team is scheduled to play at Stake Pulse Beat III on October 12.
The pair's tenure
jabbi joined Astralis in November 2023, recruited from HEROIC together with Martin "stavn" Lund. HooXi signed in June 2025 after a stand-in period, taking over the in-game leader role from Casper "cadiaN" Møller.
Under HooXi, Astralis won Stake Ranked Episode 4 in Barcelona, the organization's first LAN trophy since December 2019, and reached the grand final of three other LAN events: PGL Astana 2025, FISSURE Playground 1 and PGL Bucharest 2026. HLTV said the Barcelona title lifted Astralis into the top 10 of the global VRS, which its projections indicate leaves the team virtually certain to qualify for the Singapore Major.
