DeKay Mailbag Part 1: The Astralis Situation, Thoughts on Smooya, and Why Olofmeister Left

Welcome to Part 1 of the DeKay Mailbag, a monthly feature in which Counter-Strike reporter and insider Jarek "DeKay" Lewis answers questions from readers on Twitter. Do you have a question you'd like to see in a future mailbag? Tweet @dekay.

The Astralis situation is tough because as I mentioned in my latest DeKay Scope column, multiple sources have expressed conflicting information. I would assume both of them are referencing things they have also been told privately by people they trust. The issue is, most journalists with a source network can’t always reveal information because they were asked to keep it off the record. For example, I could report three to four times more information if I was told everything on the record. Time will tell and I think that article opens the door to more information coming forward in the near future.

I think most organizations are generally cautious right now about picking up teams, at least in CS:GO. With no defined date for when offline tournaments will resume, there is still so much that can change. It’s also situational because some teams will be hurt more financially than others. It really depends on how they are funded and how the pandemic has hit their wallet. I would say now and the near future are good times to get teams at a discount because the future of esports is still as bright as it ever was. 

I haven’t heard a single thing about Oskar, which is unfortunate. I wish the best for the guy and he is way too good to end up team-less for the rest of this year. Players were quick to defend him when I said his reputation has always been described to me as someone who is hard to work with behind the scenes. Yet, he still remains team-less. What does that tell you?

I don’t see any world in which that would be a realistic move.

Impossible to know really. I would assume similar to gla1ve, but it also depends on if North wants him back on the lineup as soon as he is ready. There could be a situation in which he is ready to come back but roster locks or team dynamics don’t allow that to happen. We will see what happens.

I have not heard anything new at all unfortunately. Hoping to hear something soon.

I have heard FPX are still very much interested in fielding a team, but they haven’t narrowed down their options just yet. It is possible that top teams get sold, but the price must be right though. That generally means that someone will need to overpay to get a deal done.

It’s really tough because online play can really mess with your head. Teams that bootcamp for an entire Major online get completely wrecked only to show up and dominate. Making a move based on online results is always a risk and I’m not sure if they want to go that far. In my opinion, it only happens if something is beyond fixable even if offline play resumes in the near future.

I don’t have any real info as to what kind of contract he signed. I assume it's short term with a chance to turn into a real contract should they like how he performs. It’s very low-risk, high-reward and was a smart move by them. You can argue the IGL or AWP angle, but I think it was the best play they could have made for now.

I love what they are doing, but I don’t see them being able to get to top five and hold it once we are back on LAN. They would need one extra heavy hitter in the lineup to make that happen, in my opinion. It’s hard to say who they should go for if they hit that ceiling, but I think it eventually happens.

No truth at all, he was just trolling.

I don’t think so. Everything I have heard is that they are good with YNk and while I do rate Kassad highly, I don’t think it's worth making the change. Therefore, I don’t expect it to happen.

I don’t believe they are. Once again, this is similar to EG in that making a move right now during all of this is a risk. Poor performances now might have instead been great performances on LAN. Behind the scenes, I haven’t heard anything legitimate as far as them making a move. I do know they’d be willing to if they knew they had a surefire problem, but they don’t right now.

Let's be real here, even though TIGER is doing well in their own region, adding Smooya and Snappi would be an upgrade. If they are smart, they will just wait until Astralis is done with Snappi and then add the two to their lineup, should Smooya still be interested. I understand that they don’t want to ruin something that is working well, but they did already pay for Snappi. We will have to see what opportunities surface for Smooya in the meantime.

It kind of feels inevitable at this point, despite it being a risk. If there was any leader who could tell if there was an issue that playing eventually offline wouldn’t fix, it would be Karrigan. Therefore, I think it could go either way. The nice thing is they have so many more options being in Europe right now, compared to a North American team that only has so many options. I haven’t heard anything yet, but I’m keeping a close eye on them.

I do think they will make a change pretty soon. I’m not exactly sure how soon, but I would say within the next month or two at the latest. They have had a rough string of finishes lately, but that could easily change if they get the right guy.

I truly think olofmeister needed time away from the game and he felt he wasn’t performing well enough to deserve a spot on the roster in his current form. Everything I heard prior to it happening lines up with what was announced. I still think that holds true if he doesn't come back to the lineup.

There aren’t a whole lot of them because he would have already joined them. He is a free agent, but I imagine most teams are weary of making a move right now in this environment. Maybe ending up in a team for FLASHPOINT again is where he eventually ends up.

I wish I had insight for you here but I'm unaware of how long they are.