Dev1ce returns to Astralis after underwhelming stint with NiP

Danish CS:GO superstar Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz has rejoined Astralis, the team he helped to win four Majors between 2017 and 2019, after weeks of a dragging negotiation with Ninjas in Pyjamas.

Although dev1ce is one of the most prolific CS:GO players of all time, there are big question marks around his return to Astralis. He has been away from competitive play since Dec. 5, 2022, when NiP defeated GODSENT at IEM Winter, and was out on medical leave ever since due to mental health issues. Dev1ce never went back to NiP’s active lineup in 2022 and spent months grinding FACEIT matches this year to keep his form.

The move sees dev1ce reunite with two teammates from the prime Astralis days, the in-game leader Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander and Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth. For now, the rest of the team also features star Benjamin “blameF” Bremer and academy player Mikkel “MistR” Thomsen , but it’s unclear whether Astralis is planning more roster changes as a result of missing IEM Rio Major, the first time it happened to the organization.

Even though 2021 didn’t pan out as dev1ce was expecting, he still had great stats before going on medical leave. Dev1ce averaged a 1.19 rating across 53 maps played on LAN setup, according to HLTV’s statistics. He also had a 1.29 impact, 80.7 ADR, and 0.77 kills per round, according to HLTV.

Dev1ce will go back to the server to play an official match for the first time since 2021 and debut for Astralis at the $200,000 LAN tournament Elisa Masters Espoo, which will run from Nov. 16 to 20. The event also features the likes of Fnatic, ENCE, MOUZ, and BIG.