Danish CS:GO sniper Nicolai ‘device’ Reedtz has finally returned to his former squad after a stint with Ninjas in Pyjamas.
After a historic move to NiP and an extended break, four-time major winner, device, has returned to Astralis. The 27-year-old AWPer will be taking on his old role at Astralis, slotting into the squad in place of Farlig. The move comes after a big shakeup to the Astralis squad that saw their coach benched and rifler k0nfig leave. After missing the major qualifier, the squad will be looking to reclaim their former glory. Following a disappointing 2021 and a break from professional CS since January 2022, device will be looking to shake off his poor form and return to the top.
Here’s what device and Astralis had to say regarding the former’s rejoining.
Also read: Astralis bench coach ‘trace’ amid CS:GO roster shuffle
Astralis welcomes device back after his turbulent run at Ninjas in Pyjamas and a long break from CS:GO
In a statement posted on the official Astralis blog, device had the following to say:
“I can’t describe how happy I am to be home again. Astralis is very close to my heart and everyone who has been here for a period of time knows that it is a very special organization with great values, lots of internal support, and I am more than ready to help build Astralis’ future!”
Welcoming him back, Astralis’ Director of Sports, Kasper Hvidt said:
“Nicolai is an exceptional player and person, who under the right conditions is an invaluable support for his teammates and one of the world’s absolute best in the AWP role. For various reasons has not been in official competitions for a long time, but over the past months he has built himself up, and he is coming back to us with a strong hunger to help the team.”
Expectations are high as device is making a return after nearly a year of inactivity. In January 2022, the star AWPer went on medical leave and hasn’t returned since. Ninjas in Pyjamas have gone through multiple roster changes since and so has Astralis. With both teams not finding success recently, a move was on the cards. In what seemed like an inevitability, device is now back in the squad he won four majors with.
However, the circumstances aren’t exactly the same. His ex-squadmates Dupreeh and Magisk now play for Team Vitality, while Astralis’ core was whittled down to just gla1ve and Xyp9x. Rebuilding the team after the Major qualifier disappointment, device could be the ingredient they’re missing. Could device turn the tides in Astralis’ favor? Only time will tell.
