gla1ve announces his retirement; transitions to coaching

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 24/11/2025

Former Astralis IGL Lukas ‘gla1ve’ Rossander has announced his retirement from competitive play.

gla1ve is widely-regarded as one of Counter-Strike’s greatest in-game leaders, following a career which saw him lead Astralis to four Major titles.

The 30-year-old Dane plans to transition to the Head Coach role in the future.

Forging the most dominant team in Counter-Strike history

gla1ve joined Astralis in 2016, replacing Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen from the lineup in what, to that date, had been a ‘nearly’ roster.

Forged from the TSM roster, which included karrigan, Peter ‘dupreeh’ Rasmussen, Andreas ‘Xyp9x’ Højsleth, and Nicolai ‘device’ Reedtz, the team was evidently extremely talented but could not get big event wins over the line.

Consistently finishing 3rd/4th, the team were widely labelled as ‘chokers’ by the community. Under gla1ve’s leadership, that label would soon be condemned to history.

gla1ve’s addition gave more decisiveness to the roster, famously winning their first major at ELEAGUE Atlanta 2017 off the back of successive A rushes.

gla1ve understood that the crowd was so loud that in-game audio was hard to discern, so called A hit after A hit as they came back from 6-12 down to win 16-14 in Map 3 of the Grand Final against Virtus.pro.

Following the departure of Markus ‘Kjaerbye’ Kjærbye, Emil ‘Magisk’ Reif was added to the roster, completing the ‘famous five’ that would go on to be the most dominant roster in Counter-Strike history.

Astralis went on to win the London FACEIT Major 2018, IEM Katowice 2019, and ELEAGUE Boston 2019 to claim three Major trophies back-to-back.

At their peak, gla1ve was instrumental in organising an Astralis roster that seemed to move and react as one.

The team always seemed aware of their enemies’ intentions, chunking down their enemies with HE grenades before they could be seen, and bleeding out all who stood before them.

gla1ve, on an individual level, was an adept rifler, capable of having an impact and displaying strong clutching ability due to his reads on the enemy.

All good things…

Following the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw multiple pieces of Astralis, including gla1ve, take a break from the game, device departed the organisation for an ill-fated move to NiP.

That famous five, having won three Majors in a row, never got the chance to defend their title, and Astralis entered an extended period of regression that is arguably still playing out today.

Astralis struggled with the AWPing position, later losing dupreeh, magisk and coach Danny ‘zonic’ Sørensen to Vitality.

Ultimately, gla1ve and Astralis struggled to find solutions and balance in the roster, leading to Benjamin ‘⁠blameF⁠’ Bremer taking over as IGL with gla1ve being benched.

An unsuccessful period in ENCE followed, where ENCE largely struggled to break out of the Tier 2 online grind.

However, a victory at Elisa Masters Espoo 2024 gave gla1ve’s fans a tournament to remember, as the Dane was the top performer in ENCE’s Grand Final upset over Heroic.

The 1.28 HLTV-rated performance gave fans flashbacks to gla1ve’s composure and ability to counter his opponents.

gla1ve was benched from ENCE in July, and now departs the org in the hopes of pursuing the head coach role.

As one of Counter-Strike’s most famous tactical minds, the potential for gla1ve to contribute as a coach is obvious but not guaranteed.

gla1ve’s retirement statement in full:

“A new adventure begins!

After some time away from the server and a chance to reflect on my future, nothing feels more right than to start the next chapter: becoming a head coach. I truly believe I have something extraordinary to offer in this role.

My deep understanding of the game, recent experience as an IGL in CS2, and a deep and up to date understanding of the meta gives me a unique edge.

I know exactly how to handle pressure on the biggest stages, and my holistic approach – seeing every player as an individual instead of forcing everyone into the same box – is something I’m convinced will unlock the next level for many talented players.

What a ride it has been. So many memories, so many victories, and lessons I’ll carry with me forever. I still get goosebumps thinking about the Majors, the Intel Grand Slam, and everything we built during the golden Astralis era. To be part of creating something that special doesn’t happen often.

A huge thank you to my incredible teammates and coaches from back then – you made it some of the best years of my life. To every fan who screamed in the arenas and cheered from home: you were the energy behind it all.

Thank you for believing in me every single day. Big love to Astralis, ENCE, and every team and person I’ve crossed paths with over the years – you all shaped who I am today.

And last but never least, thank you to my amazing family and my wonderful wife. Your support has been my biggest strength, and I can’t wait for what’s coming next with you by my side.

See you on the server, but from the coach seat this time.”

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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