Neither tournament results nor high-profile transfers received as much attention today as the new look of Nicolai device Reedtz. The Danish AWPer, considered one of the most successful players in Counter-Strike history, decided to drastically change his image. During ESL Pro League, he was photographed with an unusually short haircut, which instantly became a hot topic for discussion.
New haircut brings out the headset dent @stunna spoke with @dev1ce after Astralis secured their first W at #ESLProLeague S22 pic.twitter.com/EXOc69HCTC
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 28, 2025
Explosion of reactions on social media
The photo of device with his new haircut went viral within hours. On Twitter, users and analytical accounts competed in making jokes:
- CS.FAIL: “Sometimes greatness starts with a ‘why not’ haircut.”
- Pog Predict: “This is what Astralis will do to a man.”
- neisee: “He doesn’t know about the bald theory in CS yet .”
- Titan.holo: “Goated just for doing it .”
- Cresty: “This is what men’s hair should look like, not this taper fade.”
Telegram channels reacted even more sharply. Popular communities spread jokes like:
- “Now you’ve seen it all — an almost bald device.”
- “Looks like my father.”
- “Chikatilo?”
- “Life’s taken its toll on you, old man.”
The comments ranged from humorous to brutally harsh, but they all had one thing in common: device’s image became the main topic of the day.
The “bald power” theory
Interestingly, the community has long had what’s called the “bald theory”: supposedly, players who shave their heads suddenly start performing better. Similar memes once circulated around gla1ve, Zeus, and even coaches who changed their look during crisis moments.
Some fans have already joked that device will now get a “new boost” thanks to this image change.
Meme status within hours
Device, even unintentionally, created one of the most popular storylines in esports this past week. His new haircut became at once a meme, a reason for jokes, and a symbol of self-confidence.
At a time when every one of his matches with Astralis is under the microscope, this unexpected step outside of his usual image showed: the Dane remains the same legend with enough charisma to make the entire scene talk not about his aim, but about his hair.
What’s next?
Now the main question is: will the “why not” haircut become device’s new talisman on the road to trophies? If Astralis manage to deliver results at ESL Pro League, the meme will automatically turn into a historic moment in the player’s career. For now, the CS2 community has gained yet another story proving that even in small things, device has the ability to draw all the attention of the scene.
