CS:GO advisor Nicolai ‘HUNDEN’ Petersen has accompanied Astralis’ backroom staff as Head Analyst, the Danish organization has announced.
HUNDEN gets control from Frederik ‘LOMME’ Nielsen, whom departed Astralis at the conclusion of 2022, in what’s going to be their very first formal part with a CS:GO group since making Heroic in July 2021.
The statement comes 30 days after HUNDEN ended up being reinstated by the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC). The esports watchdog had slapped him with a two-year ban on August 27, 2021, for dripping delicate information to a competitor — thought to be Astralis — ahead of IEM Cologne without Heroic’s knowledge.
With the visit of our new Head Analyst, Astralis’ performance company has become set up, and all sorts of focus has become regarding the 2023 season.
— Astralis Counter-Strike (@AstralisCS) January 5, 2023
ESIC chose to reinstate HUNDEN after an in-person conference aided by the advisor, by which it absolutely was determined that HUNDEN will need to undertake “relevant training”. On Twitter, HUNDEN thanked their attorneys “for leading me personally through exactly what is a tremendously hard period”, showing which he resorted to appropriate avenues to challenge their ban.
Astralis’ Director of Sports, Kasper Hvidt, described HUNDEN as “an incredibly skilled analyst” who can be “an asset to the group and company.” Head coach Peter ‘casle’ Ardenskjold added that HUNDEN is “one of the very most most useful within the industry and very thorough in their work.”
“It is a lengthy procedure and there were numerous things we’d to go over in terms of my part and every thing i’ve been through,” HUNDEN stated. “Now I’m simply happy it is all set up, and we currently feel simply how much this means if you ask me to be installed and operating and also to have talented individuals around me personally whom trust and help me.
“Astralis is one thing unique in Denmark and achieving seen all of it from the surface using the enormous offer the group has constantly gotten, it seems great to be an integral part of it all.”
A long courtship
HUNDEN was in fact associated with Astralis because the summer time of 2021, whenever an HLTV.org report unveiled which he ended up being the prime prospect to displace mind advisor Danny ‘zonic’ Sørensen, who had been going into the last 6 months of their agreement.
In August 2022, Dexerto Editor-at-Large Richard Lewis revealed that HUNDEN had “a working relationship” with Astralis during his ban. The Danish organization told Dexerto that the advisor was indeed getting together with their CS:GO group on an everyday foundation to create content for strategic partner Aim Lab.
Astralis included which they could have no qualms about working together with HUNDEN in an even more direct ability once their ban expired. “Should we now have the requirement, we might have no 2nd ideas about providing him a situation as an analyst or such,” the Danish organization said.
When their ban ended up being lifted, many expected HUNDEN to become listed on Astralis as a mind advisor. But that possibility ended up being shot down whenever Astralis announced that interim coach casle would remain in control of the group in 2023. Both HUNDEN and casle are banned from playing CS:GO Majors before the end associated with 2nd significant of 2023 with regards to their utilization of the spectator bug.
HUNDEN’s addition towards the backroom staff is the main rebuilding procedure that Astralis began after failing continually to be eligible for the IEM Rio significant. The corporation shifted from Asger ‘Farlig’ Jensen and Kristian ‘k0nfig’ Wienecke, re-signed superstar Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz from NIP and acquired Christian Møss ‘Buzz’ Andersen, a rising skill playing in Denmark’s second tier.
Meanwhile, Astralis have strengthened their performance group by employing Jan Østergaard Jørgensen, a retired badminton player, and Bjarne Slot Christiansen, a former expert soldier who’s now a lifestyle coach and television host, as their brand new performance advisor and psychological advisor, correspondingly.
