Astralis are preparing to bring in Ukrainian player Mykyta "cmtry" Samolotov on a loan deal from FUT Esports, according to reports from Dust2.dk and insider Sébastien "KRL" Perez. The move comes with an unexpected twist: cmtry will transition from his signature AWPing role to play as a rifler for the Danish organization.
The roster shuffle appears driven by urgent contract situations facing Astralis. Multiple key players face expiring deals in the coming months, creating pressure for swift decisions. Rasmus "HooXi" Nielsen and Victor "Staehr" Staehr will become free agents at year's end, while Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard's contract expires even sooner at the end of November, leaving management little time to finalize their lineup strategy.
cmtry has been inactive since early October when FUT replaced him with former G2 AWPer Álvaro "SunPayus" García. His benching followed a notable performance decline, posting a 0.96 rating across three months and dropping to 0.93 since the IEM Cologne Major. Questions remain about his effectiveness in the rifling position, having last filled a hybrid secondary AWP/rifle role with NAVI Youth in 2023.
The reported addition marks a dramatic shift in Astralis' identity. The legendary Danish organization's roster would feature predominantly Eastern European talent, with Staehr as the sole Danish representative alongside Swedish player Love "phzy" Smidebrant, Lithuanians Gytis "ryu" Glušauskas and coach Filip "NEO" Kubski, Polish IGL Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek, and the incoming Ukrainian cmtry on loan.
