Astralis may carry out another notable roster rebuild after winning Stake Ranked Episode 4. According to sources, the Danish organization is working on a loan deal for 19-year-old Ukrainian cmtry, and the former FUT sniper is being prepared for a completely different role — he is set to switch to rifle.
cmtry may join Astralis
KRL was the first to report the possible transfer. According to his information, Nikita “cmtry” Samolotov is set to join Astralis on loan. This would not just be a change of team: the Ukrainian, who has mostly played as a sniper in recent years, is expected to move into a rifler role.
For the 19-year-old player, this is a serious rebuild of his own style. cmtry has used the AWP since his NAVI Youth days in 2023, so a potential move to Astralis would effectively open a new stage in his career.
Astralis are preparing changes after contract problems
The information about cmtry appeared amid reports about possible changes involving two Astralis players at once. The organization is looking for quick replacement options for HooXi and jabbi after negotiations over new contracts with them reached a dead end.
That is why a loan looks like a logical solution: Astralis can quickly get a young player without needing to immediately sign a long-term deal. At the same time, it is still unknown what the final roster configuration will look like and who will become the second newcomer.
cmtry recently lost his place in FUT
The Ukrainian found himself on FUT’s bench after the arrival of SunPayus. The organization decided to change its main sniper after an unstable period from cmtry, who was unable to reproduce his best form throughout the entire season.
At the same time, his 2026 cannot be called completely unsuccessful. It was cmtry who was one of FUT’s key players during their victory at PGL Bucharest and received the individual award for the best player of the tournament. The problem was not the absence of a high ceiling, but a lack of stability after that success.
The switch to rifle will be the main question
The most interesting part of the potential transfer is the role change. Astralis do not plan to use cmtry as the main AWP player, so he will have to adapt to a much larger number of rifle positions, different timings, and a new set of responsibilities in rounds.
On the other hand, such a transition could give him a chance to restart his career. cmtry remains a very young player with experience at big tournaments, and working within the Astralis structure may help determine how versatile he can be outside his familiar sniper role.
Astralis continue their rebuild
The potential arrival of cmtry looks especially interesting against the backdrop of Astralis’ recent success. The team has just won Stake Ranked Episode 4 and taken the organization’s first full-fledged LAN trophy since 2019, but even this result has not stopped work on roster changes.
If the loan happens, Astralis will get one of the most interesting young Ukrainian players, but at the same time will take on a noticeable experiment with his role. For cmtry, this could become either a difficult adaptation after several years with the AWP, or an opportunity to reveal himself as a much more versatile player.
