by in
Astralis are reportedly set to take Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke, their star Counter-Strike: Global Offensive rifler, out of the team’s lineup.
Reports suggest the franchise’s decision is hinged on the player’s involvement in a fistfight which occurred two weeks ago, not long after the ESL Pro League group stage concluded in Malta. After the team participated in the tournament, Astralis revealed that k0nfig had sustained a “complicated ankle fracture”, depriving him from participating in the fast approaching IEM Rio Major Europe Regional Major Ranking (RMR) qualifiers. The team will be forced to bring on Mikkel “MistR” Thomsen from their academy lineup to stand in as a substitute during the October event.
The reports revealed that after the ESL Pro League tournament, k0nfig and an unnamed person were initially involved in a quarrel, but the heated exchange of words soon turned physical. The competition saw Astralis eliminated before the playoffs. During the group stage, the team notably had three losses and won only two matches.
The CS:GO rifler responded to the news on his Twitter, revealing that the story was “mostly BS”, and asked that he not be contacted again.
”Jaxon contacted me with rumors that are mostly BS, and I asked them to respect it is private,” k0nfig said.
“Ofc they went ahead anyway and even added to the story, so I asked them not to contact me again. It hurts like hell, but I hope to get green light from the doctor so I can get back soon!”
The developments come on the heels of previous reports concerning Astralis’ interest in re-signing Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz. The organization is said to be in talks with the AWPer’s current team, Ninjas in Pyjamas, with some sources claiming on offer has already been made. The negotiation is still ongoing, it is understood, because NiP are yet to accept the amount and are reportedly asking for €1 million for dev1ce, the initial amount the team paid for the player.
If Astralis succeed in bringing dev1ce back to their lineup, he would be most likely to replace the team’s incumbent AWPer, Asger “Farlig” Jensen. However, k0nfig’s possible departure from the squad could lead to some issues for Astralis. It is not certain if a double replacement is in the team’s future, or if one of Astralis’ two AWPers will carry out the duties of a rifler. There is also no information concerning who the Danish esports team could target to replace k0nfig.
K0nfig started with Astralis in October 2021, after his stint with Complexity. At the time, the player was signed along with Benjamin “blameF” Bremer and head coach Alexander “ave” Holdt as part of a rebuilding period. The three additions signaled a new era for Astralis and brought more firepower to their play.
At the moment, Astralis are getting ready for the upcoming Europe RMR A tournament, which will run from October 4-9. Besides the Danish squad, 15 other top CS:GO teams will participate in the competition in a bid to secure one of the eight spots for the IEM Rio Major, which will kick off at the end of October.
