Astralis Announce Phzy and Ryu for Counter-Strike 2 roster
Danish powerhouse Astralis has officially signed Swedish AWPer Love “phzy” Smidebrant and Lithuanian rifler Gytis “ryu” Glušauskas to complete its Counter-Strike 2 roster for the 2026 season. This marks the organisation’s first departure from an all Danish lineup in over 10 years, signaling a bold pivot to international talent amid recent roster shake ups.
The moves follow the mutual parting with Martin “stavn” Lund—who spent four months on the bench—and dev1ce’s earlier exit, aiming to propel Astralis from 15th in Valve Regional Standings (VRS) into the European top 10.
The New Roster
Astralis revamped CS2 lineup:
HooXi (IGL)
jabbi
Staehr
phzy (AWPer)
ryu (rifler)
Phzy the 23 year old Swedish AWPer Love “phzy” Smidebrant joins after turbulent 2025 stints with Wildcard and 9INE loans. Qualified Wildcard for BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 Stage 1 and Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 Legends. 1st Exort The Proving Grounds S2 ($40k), 5-6th BLAST Rivals Spring 2025 ($25k), top 6 DraculaN S4. Reliable AWPing with 1.07 recent rating, 1.43 career K/D, $100k+ earnings bring Tier-1 stability to Astralis.
Ryu the 21 year old Lithuanian rifler Gytis “ryu” Glušauskas rises from Monte, dominating 2025 with a 1st DreamHack Knockout Stockholm (ESL Pro League S23 qual, $5k), 1st European Esports Championship ($14k), 2nds in ESL Challenger League S50 Europe Cup 4, NODWIN Clutch S2, CCT S2 Europe S16. Consistent 1.12 rating, 1.09 K/D, $28k earnings, who will bring energy into Astralis core.
phzy and ryu debut in the BLAST Bounty Season 1 closed qualifier starting January 13, 2026. From 32 teams, eight advance to LAN finals for the year’s first Tier 1 title and VRS boost.
Astralis CEO Jonas Gundersen emphasized the signings’ fit: “We are entering the next phase with the team. In addition to being strong players, they bring new energy to the team, and they are players who can immediately adapt to the style of play we want to implement.”
Since: October 29, 2025
