Aerial Announces Hiatus from Competitive Scene

The ex-HAVU rifler has decided to stay away from the game for a while to improve his sleeping problems

Sleep problems have prompted Jani “Aerial” Jussila to make the difficult choice of parting ways with HAVU's starting roster and temporarily stepping back from active competition. The Finnish side have officially announced the 29-year-old’s departure from the club via Twitter. 

Aerial steps down from the active CS:GO lineup.

Read: https://t.co/ICxmkjEDLD#HAVUJA pic.twitter.com/mILLRsdcsG

— HAVU (@HAVUgaming) May 17, 2023

HAVU have found a replacement for Jani “Aerial” Jussila in the form of Olli “sLowi” Pitkänen, who makes a return to his former long-time team after four years (2018-2022). Moving forward, sLowi will fill the stand-in role for HAVU. The 27-year-old recently showcased his skills while playing for Aleksi “allu” Jalli's JANO lineup, where he emerged as the second-highest performer with an impressive rating of 1.04, surpassed only by allu himself (1.14).

Aerial lefts the organization two years after joining from ENCE to reunite with his former teammate Sami “⁠xseveN⁠” Laasanen.

Throughout his time with the team, the 29-year-old has been a reliable and consistent presence, earning his place as one of the team's most consistent players. With an impressive average rating of 1.09 across 459 maps, he has regularly contributed to the team's success. Notably, he spearheaded the team's campaign at Elisa Masters Espoo in 2022, one of the two international LAN events HAVU featured in during Aerial’s tenure. The ex-ENCE rifler was the highest-rated player (0.98) for HAVU in the competition. 

Despite Aerial's impressive showings on the server, the team faced difficulties in achieving notable progress elsewhere. The Finnish troupe regrettably fell short in their quest to qualify for the BLAST.tv Paris Major RMRs in Denmark, experiencing defeat against 500 in the last chance qualifier. This loss expedited Joonas “doto” Forss' departure and perpetuated a period of roster instability for the team.

HAVU remain determined to stay competitive despite bidding farewell to one of their longstanding players. The Finnish team's first encounter with sLowi in their ranks is scheduled for May 24, marking their continued participation in the Elisa Invitational Spring 2023. Presently boasting an even 1-1 record, HAVU aims to further assert their presence in the tournament.

“Jani [Aerial] has announced that the time has come to put playing competitively on hold for now due sleeping problems,” the team said in its press release. “HAVU fully supports his decision and wishes him all the best and we hope that some day he might join to play once again.”

“I have decided to move aside from HAVU's CS:GO roster due to years of sleep problems,” Aerial wrote in his official statement. “I find it impossible to succeed at the moment. The level of professional CS is currently very high and you can't keep up there with a few hours of sleep a day.

“I'm not actively looking to play in a team before I have solved my sleeping problems. I wish my teammates the best of luck for the future.”