{"id":10631,"date":"2023-01-21T23:27:24","date_gmt":"2023-01-21T23:27:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/news\/cs-2\/dev1ce-blast-part2"},"modified":"2023-01-21T23:27:24","modified_gmt":"2023-01-21T23:27:24","slug":"dev1ce-blast-part2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/news\/cs-2\/dev1ce-blast-part2\/","title":{"rendered":"dev1ce: “Figuring how to live as an esport athlete and not dev1ce was important”"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a continuation of TheSwedishJoker’s interview with dev1ce at BLAST.
You can read the first part here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hugo “TheSwedishJoker” Nilsson Meier, BLIX.GG: <\/strong>Talk to me a little bit about expectations. Do you guys have any expectations set already for the short-term or long-term? What do they look like?<\/em><\/p>\n

dev1ce: <\/strong>I mean, absolutely bare minimum is obviously qualifying for the Major, but that didn’\u0099t happen for the guys last time, and it means a lot for the organization and the team. For me looking at the whole year, it’\u0099s definitely bringing Astralis back to a level where we go into tournaments feeling we could win them, we have a decent shot together with a lot of the other top teams at winning them.<\/p>\n

I think the CS:GO scene right now is very open. Obviously, you have some teams that are always really good, but I feel five or six teams could win a tournament, and we want to be one of those.<\/p>\n

BLIX: <\/strong>You talked a little bit about watching m0NESY. He’\u0099s been on the rise in just a year, his rookie year. What do you think is the thing that sets him apart from other AWPers, with his almost meteoric rise?<\/em><\/p>\n

dev1ce:<\/strong> I mean, for me, I’\u0099ve watched all of the guys, all of the AWPers that are good, so for me, the change with m0NESY actually happened when HooXi came in, I think he has a depth of his play that is new in the tactical regard, and I think that HooXi is doing a really really amazing job at teaching him the ways. <\/p>\n

For me, he’\u0099s always been very mechanically skilled, the only guy together with s1mple and ZywOo that have an extra ‘\u009cwow factor’\u009d individually. Hence, if he can also add the tactical layer, which is what it’\u0099s looking like he’\u0099s doing, then the sky’\u0099s the limit for him. It’\u0099s just nice to see a player that’\u0099s also not too focused. It doesn’\u0099t look like he cares too much about that, he’\u0099s just doing his role, and then he does amazing.<\/p>\n

BLIX:<\/strong> CS:GO came out with new updates at the end of last year, bringing in Anubis and an M4 and AWP nerf. Now that you’\u0099ve been able to play more in practice and such, what do you think about the AWP on paper? Do you think it was a good one, or could it have been done a little bit better?<\/em><\/p>\n

dev1ce:<\/strong> I mean, for me, I didn’\u0099t want an AWP nerf, so it’\u0099s good that it didn’\u0099t have that much impact; I think that obviously it actually matters since some rounds, most rounds you see an AWPer reload at some point, and that also gives away a sound cue, so there’\u0099s a lot of stuff that it actually gives away, but it’\u0099s not a mechanical nerf so you can still have the same skill.<\/p>\n

I like that a little bit. I mean, you could put the price up a little bit, but I think it’\u0099s pretty good where it’\u0099s at. I don’\u0099t think it will impact that many rounds directly, where you’\u0099ll see an AWPer run out of bullets, but it definitely requires more thought process like when do you choose to reload when you are positioning yourself and stuff like that.<\/p>\n

BLIX:<\/strong> Do you think it will impact your gameplay, maybe compared to when you had ten bullets to work with?<\/em><\/p>\n

dev1ce:<\/strong> Yeah, there’\u0099s a difference of a few bullets here and there; when you spam with the AWP, you have to reload; sometimes you never thought about ‘\u009chow many bullets do I have?’\u009d so it’\u0099s obviously different, but I don’\u0099t think it will really… we won’\u0099t have many situations where AWPers just run out of bullets and can’\u0099t shoot. It’\u0099s more or less about thinking about when you’\u0099re shooting.<\/p>\n

\"Image: Image: Copyright Astralis<\/span><\/div>\n

BLIX: <\/strong>Anubis has been out now for a little bit. You’\u0099ve probably, maybe, been practicing it; how do you say it is for you as an AWPer playing on Anubis? Do you think it’\u0099s a good map for AWPing, or how would you say it is?<\/em><\/p>\n

dev1ce:<\/strong> I like Anubis as an AWPer; it’\u0099s a little bit like Ancient, you’\u0099re mostly on the sides rather than in the middle of the map, and I think that’\u0099s actually something you see on a lot of maps like the AWPers are trying to find picks that are not centered where the Ts are using a lot of their utility and manpower because teams have been getting so good at just using utility you actually rarely see an AWPer get a really easy CT opening pick because teams are getting too good at avoiding that, so it’\u0099s a really good map for that, where you can pick off the lurkers and especially with the aggressive T lurkers that are also in the meta you get more shots and yeah… For me, it’\u0099s a pretty good map to play, some changes would be good, but it’\u0099s gonna happen with Valve sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n

BLIX: <\/strong>What kind of changes would you have liked to see, maybe for the Major, to the map or the map pool of the game? What changes would you have made or wanted?<\/em><\/p>\n

dev1ce:<\/strong> That’\u0099s a big question. I don’\u0099t really know actually what I like about the game as it is right now; I maybe want the M4s to cost the same; that’\u0099s the only thing because I think that the reason why so many people are staying on the A1 is because of the price of it. <\/p>\n

That’\u0099s the only change I would make. Map-pool-wise; I think it’\u0099s pretty good right now as well; I’\u0099m not the biggest fan of the new Ancient spawn; just when you look at it, it looks like when you play Sims. You just spread out the floor too much, so maybe making it look a little bit better and thinking a little bit of the timings that it impacts because it’\u0099s a bit weird to play the map now; they’\u0099ve added a second more runtime. In contrast, I think a half-second would have created a perfect in-between of ‘\u009cCTs can get a lot of map control for free’\u009d and ‘\u009cTs can not get it for free.’\u009d<\/p>\n

BLIX:<\/strong> What changes would you make to Anubis? You said that you’\u0099d have liked to see some changes, so what would you like to have changed with the map?<\/em><\/p>\n

dev1ce:<\/strong> I mean, like, the middle part of the map is a little bit too congested; I think I would like to change that, and it’\u0099s less… the only thing I’\u0099m thinking about is the middle part of the map, and the window part I’\u0099m not too sure about, like, it’\u0099s also because the map hasn’\u0099t been played too much, so it’\u0099s hard to say what the meta really is, but it feels like the old Inferno where stuff is a little bit too congested, and if you like to make it a little bit bigger I think it would play out a little bit better as well.<\/p>\n

BLIX:<\/strong> Do you like how Valve is going? Because this was a community-made map, do you think we should have more community-made maps or bring out the old ones? What direction would you have liked to see Valve go with that?<\/em><\/p>\n

dev1ce:<\/strong> I mean, it’\u0099s always been Valve’\u0099s way to go with the community skins and maps. CS is, I think, a community-created mod, so yeah, I like that, I really do think it’\u0099s a good thing that creators can actually have fun and be creative, and it can be implemented into the game; it’\u0099s one of the things that’\u0099s really unique about CS, and for me, it doesn’\u0099t matter who makes the map, as long as it’\u0099s good and playable I’\u0099d rather have it come from the community than not.<\/p>\n

\"Image: Image: Copyright Astralis<\/span><\/div>\n

BLIX:<\/strong><\/em> Would you have rather seen another map come in instead of Anubis because we have Cache, Cobble, we have Tuscan still on the bench? Would you have liked to see another map come in?<\/em><\/p>\n

dev1ce:<\/strong> No, actually, I don’\u0099t like Tuscan that much, and Cobble, yeah, but it’\u0099s been made a little bit weird. I would like to see the old Cobble in this new meta, how you play, and how good teams are with utility. I think that the map is not explored, or was not explored back then like it was way puggier and just aim, so I think that would have been exciting. And Cache, I’\u0099m not a big fan of the new Cache too, so’\u00a6 maybe Cobble, but I liked the old Cobble if we were to play that.<\/p>\n

BLIX: <\/strong>Valve also recently came out with this new ranking for future RMRs, you know, with the last Rio Major where FaZe had to play, for example, top teams early on like Cloud9, NAVI, etc. Do you think that’\u0099s the right way to go for Valve with that in mind?<\/p>\n

dev1ce: <\/strong>I’\u0099m actually not too well informed on it, so it’\u0099s hard for me to say so much about it. The only thing that obviously is a little bit influential is who gets invites to the Open and Closed Qualifiers of the RMRs. If you are, as we are, a partner team with BLAST, for instance, or in ESL, you get more points and prize money, so it’\u0099s easier to be high in the rankings for us than a team like Sprout, who are also very good. So I think it’\u0099s a bit unfair, whereas previously, it was a bit more open. Other than that, I don’\u0099t know much about it, but that’\u0099s one of the things I can see it can have an impact.<\/p>\n

BLIX:<\/strong> With NiP, you were in Stockholm for quite a while, and now you’\u0099re back in Copenhagen if I’\u0099m correct. How has your life been since? With everything going on, do you feel there’\u0099s a new dev1ce coming out, or do you still feel like there’\u0099s a mix of the old and new you? What has this last year been like, and how has it affected you?<\/em><\/p>\n

dev1ce:<\/strong> I mean, it’\u0099s definitely been a transformative year for me; figuring out how to live a life as an esport athlete and not just live as dev1ce 24\/7 was very important to me; it’\u0099s a bit weird because a lot of your relationships are based on who you are as a CS:GO athlete, but it’\u0099s very important to have a life as well as Nicolai and live and be happy, and that was what I was working on, for me to have a platform of seeing my friends and family, so it’\u0099s definitely been better for me, but then also ways to disconnect from the game which is important and you don’\u0099t’\u00a6 Like I love the grind, and I do it 24\/7, which caused a lot of issues for me, that I would never retract myself from the game; I would keep on going. There’\u0099s a better balance now, and it’\u0099s good and gives more space to focus and have fun while on the journey.<\/p>\n

BLIX: <\/strong>Last question, do you feel like before, maybe you were just dev1ce, and you couldn’\u0099t really find the difference between Nicolai and dev1ce, but how do you feel like you found that good balance between being dev1ce and being Nicolai?<\/em><\/p>\n

dev1ce:<\/strong> Yeah, definitely! It’\u0099s also realizing there are values in both parts of your life and also not neglecting one part of your life and just trying to ignore it and hope it gets better at some point is actually something that I think a lot of CS players struggle with because it consumes a lot of time being a CS player.<\/p>\n

So yeah, it was important for me. I am generally way happier, and that’\u0099s probably the biggest difference.<\/p>\n

Cover image credit: Copyright ESL | Helena Kristiansson<\/p>\n

Make sure to follow BLIX.GG<\/a> to stay up to date with all the esports news!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a continuation of TheSwedishJoker’s interview with dev1ce at BLAST. You can read the first part here. Hugo “TheSwedishJoker” Nilsson Meier, BLIX.GG: Talk to me a little bit about expectations. Do you guys have any expectations set already for the short-term or long-term? What do they look like? dev1ce: I mean, absolutely bare minimum<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":103,"featured_media":10632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-10631","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cs-2"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/103"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}