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Danish esports outfit Astralis made the shocking revelation that the team is signing ex-Heroic coach Nicolai “HUNDEN” Petersen, who was banned, as their head analyst.
“With the appointment of our new Head Analyst, Astralis’ organization is now in place, and all focus is now on the 2023 season,” the team tweeted.
In August 2021, the former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive coach was given a two-year ban by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) for sharing private information from “Heroic’s strategy folder” with an adversary team in advance of IEM Cologne in July 2021. Fortunately, for the coach, this ban came to an end early in December when ESIC announced they have lifted the ban, hence he can now commence activities in esports terrains.
HUNDEN will be filling up the Astralis position, which has been empty since December of last year after the departure of their previous analyst, Frederik “LOMME” Nielsen.
This news has caused an uproar among CS:GO fans worldwide, with some in support of the idea while others have expressed their displeasure with the recruitment of HUNDEN. Nonetheless, Astralis executives have left press releases conveying what a good idea it is to have the former coach as their analyst.
Astralis’ sports director Kasper Hvidt said: “First and foremost, I am pleased that we have now come to an agreement with Nicolai, who is an extremely skilled and sought-after capacity. He will, without a doubt, empower our work. We enter 2023 with a stronger team and a modernized performance organization, where we have invested in both more and exceptionally talented profiles.
“Of course, we are aware of Nicolai’s history and what he has been through, but I have no doubt that as a person and as the extremely skilled analyst he is, he will be a great asset to our team and organization,” he continued.
The team’s CS:GO coach, Peter “casle” Ardenskjold, also said: “Nicolai is one of the best in the field and is extremely thorough in his work. We are working on getting the roles in place, and I have met very few people with the same deep insight into the game and who are as structured as Nicolai about his work around the team, opponents, and individual players.
“I am thrilled that we have brought him in, and together with the new set-up around the team, the players, and the resources we have available, we stand strong in relation to the future,” he added.
HUNDEN expressed his delight at having been given another opportunity to serve. He highlighted his goal for the team and disclosed he has already begun the preliminary duties of his role.
“It has been a long process, and there have been many things we had to discuss with my role and everything I have been through. Now I’m just happy it’s all in place, and I already feel how much it means to me to be up and running and to have talented people around me who trust and support me. Astralis is something special in Denmark, and having seen it all from the outside with the enormous support the team has always received, it feels great to be a part of it all,” said HUNDEN.
“I have started the work to get roles, structure, and playing style in place. Even though I’ve only worked with the guys since Monday, and it takes time to get used to each other, there is a good dynamic in the group, and the quality of the players is obvious. We may not win the first big tournament, but the more we build on the foundation, the better we prepare and stick to the agreements, the stronger and more consistent we become as a team.”
The Astralis CS:GO roster now consists of:
● Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz
● Benjamin “blameF” Bremer
● Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth
● Christian “Buzz” Andersen
● Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander
● Peter “casle” Toftbo Ardenskjold (Coach)
● Nikolai “HUNDEN” Petersen (Head Analyst)
