Community reacts to device taking over in-game leadership in Astralis

Astralis have replaced blameF's rifling with br0 and turned device into an AWPing IGL.

Astralis shocked the Counter-Strike community by announcing that storied AWPer Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz will take over the in-game leadership as the replacement for Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer.

The revelation came about at the same time as their announcement of new fifth player, Alexander "⁠br0⁠" Bro, who was signed from Monte.

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Astralis sign br0 as device takes over as IGL

The move, in theory, frees up Martin "⁠stavn⁠" Lund and Jakob "⁠jabbi⁠" Nygaard to return to the roles they had during their best spells in HEROIC after compromises were made in Astralis' last roster.

But the knock-on effect of handing the captaincy to device has caused a stir in a community that widely expected a conventional in-game leader to fill the void in Astralis.

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Astralis bench blameF after RMR fiasco

Firstly, let's hear from device himself, speaking to Astralis' website:

"I've always been the secondary caller and right-hand man for both gla1ve and blameF, so when there was a change underway, it naturally came up in the team if I could see myself taking the lead as IGL."

"It's obviously a very different role, with more responsibility both on and off the server, but it's a good time for me to go this way. I also see it as an opportunity to do even more of what I love most in the world, playing CS at the highest level for much longer."

"It motivates me insanely because I don't just intend to continue this for a couple of years – it's my lifelong dream to play CS! Stepping into a new chapter in my career really excites me, and it's a role I see myself in for many years to come."

Many community figures reacted with concern for device's individual form, with a host of star players in years gone by affected by taking on in-game leadership duties. It was also pointed out that this adds a huge burden of responsibility upon device at a time where he is "not having any fun playing at the moment."

There was incredulity at the fact that Astralis, hailing from a region known for its in-game leaders, have tried star players like blameF and device as in-game leaders.

Meanwhile, the signing br0 did not stir immediate confidence in figures like Sudhen "⁠Bleh⁠" Wahengbam and Jason "⁠moses⁠" O'Toole.

And Robin "⁠flusha⁠" Rönnquist, in typical fashion, only needed one character to get his message across.