Astralis have had to undergo a massive rebuild after they lost a good chunk of their roster and blameF was a massive part of it. We talk to him about switching off the IGL role and then take a look at their future prospects as they adventure into the group stages of IEM Katowice.

Astralis entered 2022 with the same roster they closed out 2021 with, but have shown signs of inconsistency in recent online competition. However, a return to LAN at IEM Katowice gives the Danes an opportunity to prove that this new lineup has the strength the organization once did. They have had several months to develop under IGL Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, and now it’s time to see the fruits of that labor.

Benjamin “blameF” Bremer seemed to be in good spirits regarding the team’s progress when asked about his time in Astralis thus far:

blameF: I think it’s been fine. I think the team’s been great at helping. It was weird at the beginning not to IGL, because when something happened on the server I always thought like an IGL – what the team should do, and react – but now I think more like what I should do myself. So, it is nice now. I also feel like I have a lot of freedom, I can do a lot of stuff in this team, so I think it’s been an easy transition.

It seems that blameF’s positivity was well deserved, as the Danes proved that they came to compete on the opening day. They began the first day with a victory over MIBR, leading them to a series against BIG Clan. Domination on their respective map picks would lead to an Overpass finale, where Astralis would clinch the victory 16-13. With their ticket to the group stage punched, Astralis has the opportunity to remind the Counter-Strike world exactly who they’re dealing with.