From Astralis Pickup To Free Agent: What Will JUGi Do Next
JUGi, who was one of the latest Astralis pickups, is now officially a free agent. After being benched for two months and only playing a handful of matches, JUGi didn’t expect much from signing. After going pro in 2016, he’s had a long journey of finding the best team for him. Tricked was his first team which is where he played next to Niko who now plays for Heroic. The two Danes were crushing it but later took their separate routes. JUGi failed to perform alongside Heroic and OpTic Gaming but made a name for himself with North. He was able to secure a first-place finish at the Dreamhack Open Sevilla in 2019.
JUGi was eventually benched and replaced with MLS. A much higher earning player with more experience who later became the team captain. After announcing becoming a free agent, JUGi was contacted by Astralis. He admitted to not thinking he would be on the team’s radar. Especially since they needed a riffler and his previous experience was as a team AWPer. Both highly skilled roles but at the same time very different. Not knowing what the future would hold for him JUGi caved him and signed a contract. Knowing the team only saw him as a limited filler JUGi didn’t hold his breath. Instead went with the flow and played his best.
NEW START WITH ASTRALIS
His first event with Astralis was at BLAST Premier Spring 2020 where he played in six matches. The team performed poorly, which was expected after the recent roster change. JUGi had average to weak performances next to snappi and clearly struggled. A couple of factors played into this - one being he’s usually a main AWPer, and the other thing was a lack of team connections. JUGi’s second tournament was at Dreamhack Masters Spring 2020 which would also become his last playtime with Astralis before getting benched. He played in four sets, and the team had a strong start going 4-0. Once again, JUGi sat near the bottom of the scoreboard, struggling to keep up.
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The following sets against G2 and NiP would result in losses placing the team in twelfth with three grand in earnings. Definitely not what the players on Astralis were used to. Due to poor performances from both JUGi and snappi, the players would find themselves off the team. Snappi went back to C0ntact Gaming and has been losing ever since. JUGi was traded out with Bubzkji. A Danish player who started out strong but was later benched. Ever since the release, JUGi has taken breaks in between playing before becoming a free agent once again. He would find more success as an AWPer on a B-Tier team but hasn’t announced his plan yet for 2021.
WHERE TO NEXT?
JUGi released an announcement on his official Twitter page where he explained everything behind his CS:GO career. He talked about his time at the Tricked gaming house where he played with Niko and then eventually b0rup. Both players have now moved onto Heroic. JUGi mentioned how he enjoyed his time living in Vejle with his teammates. But when Heroic gave him the opportunity to play with the best, he was all ears. Leading up to Katowice 2017 Heroic had only one to two weeks of practice with their new roster. Even though they lost to Astralis, JUGi was able to play as an AWPer. Something that felt more comfortable for him.
After struggling with issues outside of the game, JUGi wasn’t ready on a mental level. With the team needing a roster JUGi was pushed back into playing. OpTic Gaming brought him an offer in 2018 which apparently checked off all of his boxes. Things didn’t work out within their team chemistry, leaving JUGi wanting more. North was his next choice which also happened to be a huge team in Denmark. Despite earning some good prize money, the team needed an IGL meaning JUGi was out. Astralis obviously didn’t work out meaning JUGi ran through four to five teams and found minor success. He’s been all around the Danish division, and maybe he’s ready to move on. VALORANT came up at one point for the young Dane. JUGi felt that he was good at the game but still needed to finish what he started with CS:GO.
It’s not obvious as for where JUGi will go next. Definitely somewhere in the CS:GO scene but most likely a smaller team. He lacks the opportunity to play with a consistent team and is also forced into riffler roles. A lot of the CS:GO community feels that JUGi fell off hard after leaving Heroic. Before then he had a 1.09 rating against top-five teams. Others think he’s had too many chances with his past teams. It looks like JUGi needs a more patient lower tiered team to AWP for. Moving to VALORANT would be hard. He’s not ready to quit and wants to show off to his fans and future teammates.
Images via JUGi | Astralis
