TL;DR
- dev1ce delivered a masterclass performance with 76 kills across two maps in ESL Pro League
- His recreation of s1mple’s AWP decoy strategy demonstrated exceptional game sense and creativity
- The Danish AWPer secured third place in HLTV’s 2020 rankings behind ZywOo and s1mple
- Astralis maintained dominance over Team Liquid through superior tactical execution
- dev1ce’s consistent elite performance cemented his status as a CSGO legend

Astralis extended their impressive winning streak against North American rivals Team Liquid, capturing their inaugural ESL Pro League victory with Nicolai “device” Reedtz delivering an exceptional individual showcase.
The Danish sniper entered the match with precision-honed skills, eliminating 76 opponents over the two-map series. Beyond his remarkable statistics featuring multiple aces and clutch situations, his innovative AWP deception tactic particularly stood out, paying homage to Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev’s original fake weapon throw executed against Team Liquid years earlier.
Team Liquid consistently struggled to decode the strategic patterns orchestrated by Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander that enabled Astralis to sustain their competitive advantage. While Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo’s squad displayed determined efforts to secure victory, device countered with the timeless s1mple maneuver that originally earned Natus Vincere a critical round versus Team Liquid on Dust II back in 2016.
Team Liquid’s aggressive B-site assault demonstrated unpredictable, forceful, and nearly overwhelming characteristics. Emil “Magisk” Reif and Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen successfully eliminated two opposing players, yet Team Liquid maintained control over the bombsite. device and Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth found themselves in vulnerable defensive positions against the Terrorist squad, protecting the planted explosive. device secured one elimination from the B-window area, shifting momentum toward Astralis’ favor, though Xyp9x’s demise left him in a precarious situation while wielding the AWP sniper rifle.
The Danish marksman embraced the challenge and fully committed to the clutch scenario. Facing a one-versus-two disadvantage, dev1ce swiftly eliminated Jacky “Stewie2K” Yip with a rapid AWP flick shot. As the detonation timer counted down, his options narrowed to either preserving his valuable weapon or engaging Keith “NAF” Markovic directly. The sniper opted for an unconventional approach, throwing his primary weapon through the doorway as distraction before rapidly dispatching NAF using his secondary USP-S pistol.
I wonder who you learned this one from?
@dev1ce… ????#ESLProLeague
pic.twitter.com/vXVUffdtzw— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS)
March 26, 2021
The tactical deception proved remarkably effective, with a disoriented NAF falling victim to dev1ce’s pistol accuracy. Following that pivotal round, the Danish roster became unstoppable, accumulating consecutive round victories until they established clear dominance. dev1ce forced the match into overtime with a spectacular ace performance, positioning his team for ultimate victory. His ace accomplishment combined with 39 eliminations on Dust II enabled Astralis to preserve their competitive superiority over Team Liquid and secure the match with a clean 2-0 result.
Was dev1ce the premier CSGO competitor during 2020?
Achieving an outstanding average performance rating of 1.17, dev1ce claimed the third position among the world’s elite players according to HLTV’s prestigious top 20 rankings for 2020. Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut earned the top ranking, followed by Natus Vincere’s primary AWPer s1mple. The ranking distribution showed minimal variation from the 2019 standings, where the identical three sniper specialists appeared as the highest-rated competitors globally.
Action Checklist
- Study professional clutch situations and analyze decision-making patterns under pressure
- Practice unconventional strategies like weapon decoys in controlled environments
- Review HLTV rating criteria to understand what metrics define elite performance
- Analyze map control strategies from professional matches, particularly on Dust II
No reproduction without permission:Games Guides Website » dev1ce clutches a round by replicating s1mple’s AWP decoy on Dust 2 Analyzing dev1ce's 2020 CSGO performance, strategic brilliance, and HLTV ranking position
