Astralis parts ways with coach Casper ‘ruggah’ Due

Astralis announced it has parted ways with head coach Casper ‘ruggah’ Due following the team’s failure to advance from Stage 2 at the IEM Cologne Major. The club confirmed the change after the early elimination in Cologne.

The 37-year-old Dane joined Astralis at the start of 2024 and led the squad through its transition to an international roster. During his tenure, the team finished third in the Pro League and second at PGL Bucharest before GamerLegion eliminated Astralis and the team exited Stage 2 at the Major.

After the Cologne defeat, Astralis issued a statement condemning online abuse directed at its players, with Rasmus ‘HooXi’ Nielsen singled out in the wider controversy. Rumours circulated that both HooXi and ruggah would be removed; the organisation described those reports as unsubstantiated. People close to the team indicated a player change is unlikely at this time.

Team leaders have pointed to in-game execution as an area for improvement. Rasmus ‘HooXi’ Nielsen told reporters that when the squad reviews rounds outside of matches they know the right decisions, but they fail to make those choices during games, and he called some in-match choices “amateur decisions.”

Match statistics from Stage 2 showed a 17% win rate on the T side for Astralis.

Astralis’ active roster currently lists Rasmus ‘HooXi’ Nielsen, Love ‘phzy’ Smidebrant, Jakob ‘jabbi’ Nygaard, Victor ‘Staehr’ Staehr and Gytis ‘ryu’ Glušauskas. Max ‘MiGHTYMAX’ Heath remains on staff as assistant coach while the organisation searches for a permanent head coach.

The club has not announced a replacement for ruggah or provided a timeline for appointing a new coach. The incoming head coach will be tasked with improving on-server implementation of game plans and addressing the team’s in-match decision-making ahead of upcoming events.

Previously, we reported that Astralis captain HooXi quit social media after receiving death threats.