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CS:GO – Astralis head coach Zonic to leave?

According to recent reports, Danny “zonic” Sorensen is considering leaving Astralis, with the Danish organization having already lined up... Fragster | 10. July 2021

According to recent reports, Danny “zonic” Sorensen is considering leaving Astralis, with the Danish organization having already lined up “HUNDEN” as his replacement. Zonic is the most successful head coach in CS:GO history, however the 34-year-old is now seemingly exploring new opportunities.

Zonic’s contract with Astralis expires at the end of the year, with the former mTw pro believed to be upset with the direction in which the team is going, as well as mounting tensions within the org. It could well be a period of transition for Astralis, with Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, Emil “Magisk” Reif, Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen and Andreas “Xyp9x” Hojsleth also being out of contact on December 31.

Who would replace Zonic at Astralis?

Zonic played for the likes of SK Gaming and Spirit of Amiga during his playing days too, with the popular Dane having made a seamless transition into coaching. He helped Astralis to become the leading CS:GO team around, winning four Major Championships, as well as various top-tier tournaments.

Heroic Head Coach Nicolai “HUNDEN” Petersen has already been earmarked as a suitable replacement for zonic, however such a move would likely not take place until 2022. HUNDEN is a former in-game leader, with the 30-year-old Dane having retired in April last year. He was one of the many coaches suspended as a result of the much publicized coach spectating bug last year, meaning that he had to work as an analyst instead.

Why it has been a difficult period for Astralis

Astralis failed to live up to expectations in 2020, with performances having been impacted by the loss of gla1ve and Xyp9x, who both took breaks from competing due to burnout. The org returned to winning ways in the second half of the year, having won the DreamHack Masters Winter and IEM Global Challenge. Such successes meant that they finished top of the HLTV rankings for the third consecutive year.

However, the departure of zonic would be a major loss, especially given the fact that Astralis already saw Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz leave for Ninjas in Pyjamas back in April. The org has been taking advantage of a six-man roster since, with Lukas “Bubzkji” Andersen having joined in July. It will be interesting to see how the team performs at the IEM Cologne, which gets underway on July 8, especially given the speculation surrounding the team.