stavn departs Astralis; provides update

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 08/01/2026

Astralis have announced the release of Martin ‘stavn’ Lund in order to allow the player “to focus fully on his return at his own pace.”

The decision follows a period of absence, which saw stavn miss the bulk of the second half of 2025, voluntarily benching himself in August of last year for mental health reasons.

The Danish rifler provided his reasons for stepping away in a message, which stated his intent to return to action in a new project.

stavn describes his decision to step away from competition and Astralis

The Danish rifler discussed the personal tragedy behind his decision to step away from Astralis, providing the following message:

“In December 2021, I lost my beloved eldest brother to suicide, resulting in a loss that never goes away.

In a mix of trying to honor him and distancing myself from the pain, I crawled deeper into the server in a time that was perhaps better spent completely off.

Stavn, the Counter-Strike player, had a ton of success the following years, but I now realize that it was at the expense of taking care of myself.

Finally, in August last year, I found the courage to stand up for myself and take a pause to heal. It was a hard decision to step down from the game I love and to leave my teammates in a suboptimal situation.”

The Dane continued,

“With professional therapy and patience, I now feel more grounded than before and ready to strive for greatness.

Thanks to everyone around me for supporting me through this difficult time, including Astralis and my teammates who have shown me endless love and patience during my recovery.

Astralis has kindly fulfilled my wish to release me now so I can start fresh with a new project. I will be returning to the server soon.”

Astralis provided the following statement regarding the decision:

“Thank you, Martin [stavn]

Over the past few months, Martin has taken some well-deserved time away from competition.

In that period, we’ve had open and respectful conversations, and together agreed that the best way forward is to allow Martin the space to focus fully on his return — at his own pace — while we continue on our current trajectory.

Martin is not only a fantastic player and person, but has been a true professional and a pleasure to work with throughout his time at Astralis.

We’re deeply grateful for everything he has contributed to the team, and we’ll be cheering him on as and when he takes his next steps – on and off the server.”

stavn ends ultimately unsuccessful stay at Astralis

The decision means that stavn departs Astralis after three years with the organisation, joining in November 2023.

He joined Astralis alongside former Heroic teammate Jakob ‘jabbi’ Nygaard in a high-profile move that was somewhat infamous at the time due to Heroic and Astralis’ longstanding rivalry.

As an individual, stavn never recreated the same heights as his time in Heroic. The rifler often struggled for impact without Heroic’s system to support him.

That fact led to Astralis pursuing former Heroic IGL, Casper ‘cadiaN’ Møller, to lead stavn and jabbi once again. Yet, the magic between the trio was no longer there, with cadiaN largely struggling individually.

Under the current Astralis IGL, Rasmus ‘HooXi’ Nielsen, Astralis finished 2nd at PGL Astana, marking the high point for the roster before stavn stepped away from action in August.

stavn’s departure saw Astralis play with four-time Major winner, Emil ‘Magisk’ Reif, for the remainder of the season, in an ultimately middling and disrupted year.

Overall, Astralis have been floundering for answers since the collapse of Danish hegemony in Counter-Strike, and stavn was a part of that greater story.

That story has now come to a new chapter as Astralis move to an international roster, finally moving away from a fully Danish lineup in a move symbolic of the scene’s decline.

For stavn, it seems his return to action is imminent, but it is not yet clear what form that comeback will take.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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