Astralis to bench Hooxi and ruggah amid roster changes

Astralis is preparing to bench in-game leader Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen and head coach Casper “ruggah” Due, marking yet another chapter in the Danish organization’s ongoing search for a winning formula in Counter-Strike 2.

A revolving door at the IGL position

HooXi joined the organization on a permanent free-transfer contract in June 2025, arriving after being benched by G2 Esports. Before his permanent signing, he had already been utilized as a stand-in for events such as PGL Astana, stepping in after cadiaN was benched earlier that year.

Ruggah took over as head coach in March 2024, with an initial agreement dating back to January of that year. The current roster of jabbi, Staehr, phzy, and ryu represents a mix of established talent and younger players.

Benching both the IGL and the head coach simultaneously signals that Astralis views the problem as systemic rather than individual.

The IGL problem nobody wants to talk about

HooXi has long been a polarizing figure in the Counter-Strike community. His fragging ability has been a consistent point of criticism throughout his career, even during his time with G2 where the team achieved significant success. The argument in his favor has always been that his value lies in making his teammates better, not in his individual stats.

What this means for the CS2 competitive landscape

This latest shakeup fits a concerning pattern. The organization benched cadiaN in early 2025, brought in HooXi as a replacement, and is now reportedly ready to move on from him too, all within roughly a year.

No official confirmation regarding the benchings of HooXi and ruggah could be found as of early 2026.

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