On April 21, Astralis Talent ended their journey in European Pro League on a second place with Xyp9x stepping in for Altekz.
After a failed debut in the upper bracket semi-final, the team fought their way back into the grand final, where PROSPECTS waited for a rematch. After an intense match, it, unfortunately, ended with another defeat to PROSPECTS. It was all decided in the fourth map, Overpass, where Astralis Talent had the opportunity to force the duel into a final and decisive map.
But in the end, the Swedes drew the long straw with a 3-1 win.
After the dust had settled, we sat down with Astralis Talent coach 'R0nic' to talk a bit about the talent team and Xyp9x' new role.
Mathias 'R0nic' Pinholt, head coach of Astralis Talent, sees many advantages in having such a competent player as Xyp9x helping out the talent team.
- Xyp9x has brought extraordinary calmness to our team, which has been an enormous advantage, as the talent team mainly consists of younger players. His presence has helped us not to stress as much in game situations as we might typically do, and we have definitely made fewer hasty decisions with Xyp9x on the team.
- He has been quick to set up the rounds and good at analyzing his way to the right solutions during matches. He is good at setting up his teammates and laying the right plan. He is a complete player on almost all parameters, so we can certainly be happy to play alongside a player of that caliber.
However, the talent team's head coach does not hide the fact that he is disappointed to lose the talent Alexander 'Altekz' Givskov, who has now been incorporated into the first team. He is pleased that the young talents can go all the way, but the switch's timing could be better.
- We have a challenging period ahead of us - we have to play ten tournaments from May to June, and we only have a little time to get Xyp9x on the team. The timing could be better about sending Altekz up to the first team.
- Altekz is a talented player and indispensable on the talent team. He has had excellent stats for an extended period. But on the other hand, Altekz and Xyp9x's switch is also what it's all about: It makes me proud that creating a talent that could go all the way has been possible.
Instead, MistR and Co. can enjoy all the know-how that the experienced Xyp9x has been open about sharing.
- We are all super happy to have Xyp9x on the team - that's what a talent team needs. We want to learn from the best in the business to develop tomorrow's stars. It's worth its weight in gold to get some valuable experience in return when we have developed a talent that can make a difference on the first team.
The next time Astralis Talent will battle for glory with Xyp9x on the team is April 28 in MistGames Heroes of Lofoten 2023. The boys will enter in the semi-finals, where they will meet either MASONIC or MOUZ NXT.
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