Xyp9x has intentions to claw back into the top-tier Counter-Strike scene. The Danish rifler has been warming the Astralis Talent bench for three months, but believes he still has what it takes to play at the highest level in Counter-Strike 2.
The renowned “clutch minister” donned the Astralis jersey from 2016 to 2023 but was eventually dropping to Astralis Talent midway through this year.
The 28-year-old then struggled to make an impact in the reserves.
Xyp9x didn’t rule out the possibility of playing other lineups in a Sept. 13 interview with Dust 2—he is simply eager to play again. He believes he “can still prove myself on the server, either with Astralis or with another, if there are offers.”
Before being benched, his time on Astralis wasn’t short on success. While playing, the famed Danish core of Xyp9x, dupreeh, and dev1ce managed to accrue two dozen LAN wins spanning multiple organizations. Once Astralis’ members began to venture elsewhere, Xyp9x’s in-server performance dipped quite dramatically.
As the online era hit, his ratings dropped by 0.10 from 2020 to 2021, according to HLTV statistics. Despite his bounceback in the initial stages of his Astralis Talent stint, it wasn’t enough to keep him on the starting lineup.
Right now, Xyp9x is in contract limbo. The Danish pro noted he was “still contractually bound to Astralis, so it is the club that will have to make the final decision.”
This means we could see Xyp9x make his way back onto the Astralis Talent lineup in due time, or the Dane could be bought by other orgs for the opening months of CS2. With any luck, Xyp9x will return and get to reach his prior glory once more.
