Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz is considered as one of the best players of all time in Counter Strike: Global Offensive. We sat down with him to discuss how he helped build the Astralis dynasty.
When video game fans think of the most dominant teams in esports history, there are a few that come to mind. Arguments can be made for the OpTic Gaming roster that dominated Call of Duty for nearly three titles, or the G2 Roster that continues to command Rainbow Six Siege’s professional scene.
However, one team that should be on everyone’s list is Counter Strike’s Astralis, who have been the most dominant team of the past two years. Among their victories are 2019’s BLAST Pro Series, StarLadder Berlin Major and IEM Katowice. They won all of these grand finals without dropping a map.
ESLAstralis celebrate winning IEM Katowice 2019.
To find out what it takes to build such a staggering esports dynasty, James Banks sat down with Astralis AWPer ‘dev1ce’, who gave us an insight into what it’s like to be a member of such an esteemed esports organization.
Among other things, dev1ce revealed how important minimizing roster changes has been to the team’s success, describing how they have “stuck together”. The core three of himself, Dupreeh, and Xyp9x have played together since 2013.
Similarly, dev1ce shed some light on the physical fitness routines Astralis have famously pioneered, keeping all their roster members in excellent health.
The interview highlights just how hard players work to get to the top of a game as popular as CS:GO.
It doesn’t look like Astralis are going anywhere anytime soon.
Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund has announced his departure from professional Counter-Strike, as he moves to Twitch streaming full-time.
2021 has just got started and Sweden are already stealing the show. Just days after PGL announced the Stockholm Major, GeT_RiGhT has decided to call time on his legendary competitive career.
During an exclusive interview with Dexerto, the 30-year-old discusses the career highs and lows, his battle with Crohn’s disease and what the future holds for the Swedish titan.
GeT_RiGhT interview
GeT_RiGhT & f0rest: End of an era
Twitter: BetwayesportsCounter-Strike’s dynamic duo is no more.
The Swede has a CS legacy like no other, but an integral part of those wins and losses was his partnership with countryman Patrik ‘f0rest’ Lindberg. The two share a long list of tournament wins together, including the coveted Major.
The two Counter-Strike behemoths have played together for over a decade, and it’s clear that the end of this partnership is one of the most emotional aspects of GeT_RiGhT’s retirement.
“It’s been a rollercoaster, but at the same time, it’s been a beautiful ride.” Alesund goes on to describe their partnership as “the biggest highlight” of his career.
CSGO & Crohn’s: A battle worth fighting
Adela Sznajder for ESLGeT_RiGhT’s battle with Crohn’s is a perplexing one.
It may shock a lot of people, but GeT RiGhT describes living with the disease as being “one of the best things that ever happened” to him, as well as one of the worst ones.
He describes his lifelong battle with the stomach pain that accompanies the illness, but goes on to explain that he’s thankful, as the official diagnosis brought with it a sense of both physical and mental relief.
In terms of playing CS, however, he describes it as “horrible.” The associated pain, alongside weight and blood loss meant that focusing on the game became a trial all in its own. After asking himself whether it was worth risking his health, his response shows a mixed bag of emotions. “Yes and no really,” he admitted, as the pro player life and its fandom are always worth it, but the two day bedridden recovery period certainly has left a scar.
GeT_RiGhT: Twitch streaming & beyond
YouTube: GeT_RiGhTWhat’s next for GeT_RiGhT? We can’t wait to find out.
It’s important to note that the Swedish legend will not be leaving CS. He sees the game as home, explaining: “I grew up in the scene and I’ll do anything it takes to help it grow.”
While he admits he can’t go into exact details about his future plans, he sees Twitch and content creation as a “competition on another level,” as he explores a plethora of games such as League of Legends and Warzone with more creative freedom.
GeT_RiGhT explored his excitement for Valorant, but clarified that he’s “not going to become a professional Valorant player.” With that said, he does believe that the game “has huge potential to overtake CS:GO” at some point in down the line.
Throughout this entire interview, you get a sense that the Valorant pro (sorry Chris, we had to) is in the best place he’s ever been. We’ll be excited to see where his streaming career takes him, whether it’s Riot’s Future Earth or otherwise. So keep an eye out, he’s not going anywhere anytime soon!
