Astralis have announced that Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke has suffered a “complicated ankle fracture”. The player will thus require a lot of rest over the coming weeks. It is currently unclear for how long the 25-year-old will be out of action but at the very least, k0nfig will miss the upcoming IEM Road to Rio RMR A. With the team’s hopes to make the Major pinned on the event, this is a huge blow for their campaign.
A tweet from k0nfig later clarified he wouldn’t be able to sit upright for the next 10-14 days.
Taking k0nfig’s spot on the roster will be MistR. The Astralis Talent player was submitted as the official substitute for the event. But the youngster wasn’t expected to come in this soon. Already having a low seed due to their disastrous RMR Qualifier run, the team will be playing against all odds. They will be trying to make it into the Major against teams like Cloud9, Ninjas In Pyjamas, and FaZe Clan.
MistR is the last remaining member of the original Astralis Talent roster signed in 2021. After 5 seasons of WePlay Academy League, he has been the lowest rated in all but one of those seasons. The expectations for Astralis were low, but with MistR even those expectations have been thrown out of the window.
While often criticized for his inconsistencies, k0nfig has been the X-factor that powers most of Astralis’ victories. At IEM Cologne 2022, he was a top 15 rated player and was crucial in their top 4 finish. That placing has largely maintained their ranking as a top 10 team.
For k0nfig this isn’t the first time he has been sidelined before a Major Qualifier. Coming into EPL Season 14, Complexity had announced that k0nfig would be sidelined after breaking his wrist. k0nfig once again sat out the RMR as Marcelo “coldzera” David took his place.
Astralis’ roster at the IEM Road to Rio RMR will now be:
