“HooXi on likely making the Major: ‘The system isn’t fair right now, that’s why I expected us to go through’”

“HooXi on likely making the Major: ‘The system isn’t fair right now, that’s why I expected us to go through’

Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen, now leading Astralis, says that despite the difficulties, he always believed his team would qualify for the Major — partly because he feels the current qualification system favours established top teams, making it unfair to others. 

Astralis secured their spot in the playoffs at FISSURE Playground 2 after beating GamerLegion. Though their group-stage performance was inconsistent, they showed resilience and mental strength when it mattered. 

HooXi talked about the challenges of integrating Emil “Magisk” Reif into the team, which led to shifts in roles and positions, including more initiative and communication responsibilities being placed in central positions, including his own. 

Reflecting on their progress, he said:

“Not that proud. Honestly, to me it’s a given that we should be there.” 
“After our first tournament in Astana, I haven’t put any thoughts into the Major at all, because I just expected us to make it.” 

HooXi believes the system fragments effort for teams outside the top tier:

“Tier-two teams have a tough time, you know, they have to travel all around the world, to a new country each week, just to scrape some points together. I think the system is not fair right now, and that’s why I expected us to go through.” 

He also commented on the explosion of open LAN events just before the deadline for Major invites — while they give smaller teams more opportunities, they impose major logistical and financial burdens. 

Though HooXi noted improvements in his own individual form since joining Astralis, he admitted that he once sacrificed too much for the team in previous lineups, occasionally to the detriment of both his performance and the team’s. 

Related Context & Additional Quotes

To understand HooXi’s viewpoint better, here are other relevant quotes and background:

On criticism for his individual performance during his time in G2, HooXi has said:

“Honestly, most people in this industry don’t remember more than your last game … Some things were unfair … Like obviously my individual level looks shit, but no one are noticing how many weapons I drop, how many times I run in first … It’s just easy to look at the stats …“ 

NiKo, HooXi’s former teammate at G2, argued that HooXi is treated unfairly by fans and analysts:

“It’s unfair [when people say we should kick HooXi]. If you take a look at his stats, he’s putting similar numbers than apEX and karrigan. Some people are biased toward HooXi because they never agreed that G2 picked him in the first place. When we lose, it’s easier for fans to just put the blame on him.”