Astralis have signed Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek and Nikita “cmtry” Samolotov, filling the two places that opened when Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen and Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard were benched on 9 October. The Polish and Ukrainian pair complete a Counter-Strike 2 lineup that, for the first time in the organisation’s history, does not have a Danish majority.
We would like to welcome @siuhycs & @cmtrycs to Astralis 🤩 #tothestars https://t.co/qVdX9unxWV
— Astralis Counter-Strike (@AstralisCS) October 13, 2026
Neither player has long to wait. Astralis open Group C of Stake Pulse Beat III against Sashi on 14 October at 12pm CEST, which is 11pm NZDT the same day. The signings confirm what HLTV and journalist Sebastien “KRL” Perez reported in the days before the announcement, when both players were named as the targets to replace HooXi and jabbi.
New Roles for cmtry and siuhy
cmtry is putting down the AWP. The Ukrainian made his name as an AWPer at NAVI Junior and FUT, but he joins Astralis as a rifler, and Love “phzy” Smidebrant stays on as the team’s main AWPer. With phzy already holding that role, the opening Astralis had for cmtry was a rifle spot. FUT moved him to the bench at the start of October to make room for Álvaro “SunPayus” García, so the switch also comes with his first starting place since losing that one.
siuhy has been a free agent since 2 October, when his stint of a little over a year with Liquid ended. He was Liquid’s in-game leader for a period defined by early tournament exits, a lack of cohesion, and weak T side performances, and Astralis give him the chance to reset after that run.
The End of Astralis’ Danish Majority
Victor “Staehr” Staehr is now the only Dane in a starting five that also includes phzy from Sweden, Gytis “ryu” Glušauskas from Lithuania, cmtry from Ukraine, and siuhy from Poland. That’s a sharp turn for an organisation that won four Majors with an all-Danish lineup.
The timing stung for HooXi in particular. He had led the team since joining in 2025, and his benching came shortly after he guided Astralis to the Stake Ranked Episode 4 title, the organisation’s first LAN trophy since 2019.
The change has already cost Astralis something off the server. DanishCorner announced it would step down as the official Astralis fan club after HooXi and jabbi were removed, citing the loss of the Danish core as its reason. Astralis’ first opponent has been through a similar reset: Sashi, another Danish organisation, recently rebuilt its roster with an entirely different national makeup.
Astralis’ Roster for Stake Pulse Beat III
Astalis go into the event with this lineup, with NEO staying on as coach.
PlayerNationalityStatusLove “phzy” SmidebrantSwedenStarter, main AWPerVictor “Staehr” StaehrDenmarkStarterGytis “ryu” GlušauskasLithuaniaStarterNikita “cmtry” SamolotovUkraineStarter, new signing (rifler)Kamil “siuhy” SzkaradekPolandStarter, new signingFilip “NEO” KubskiPolandCoachRasmus “HooXi” NielsenDenmarkBenchedJakob “jabbi” NygaardDenmarkBenchedPGL Singapore Major Invite and the Sticker Deadline
Stake Ranked Episode 4 already did the heavy lifting for this rebuild. The previous lineup finished ahead of Nemiga to win the event, and HLTV’s Valve Regional Standings (VRS) simulation shows that result securing Astralis an invite to PGL Singapore Major 2026.
What’s left for siuhy and cmtry is sticker eligibility. New additions need five matches with the team before the Major’s invite cutoff to receive stickers, and Stake Pulse Beat III and Stake Ranked Episode 5 are the two events Astralis have before that cutoff. With the invite projected, Pulse Beat III is less a qualification fight than a chance to bed in cmtry’s rifle role and siuhy’s place in the lineup. That would change only if the official invite list departs from the VRS projection.
If Pulse Beat III does not get both players to five matches, Stake Ranked Episode 5 is the last event on Astralis’ calendar before the invite cutoff.