Ninjas in Pyjamas have completed their roster overhaul centered around Danish in-game leader Marco ‘Snappi’ Pfeiffer, with the unexpected inclusion of Audric ‘JACKZ’ Jug as a temporary stand-in to allow them to accept Wildcard invitations.
The 34-year-old known as ‘Snappi’ guided ENCE to the number two position in the world rankings in 2023, and what NIP described as a “demonstrated history of developing young talent” will be valuable with a skilled yet novice roster.
The long-term aim is for Rasmus ‘sjuush’ Beck to become the cornerstone of the team as he rejoins former HEROIC coach Richard ‘Xizt’ Landström.
The Swedish team has finalized their lineup by adding IEM Cologne semi-finalists Michel ‘ewjerkz’ Pinto and Rafael ‘arrozdoce’ Wing from SAW.
The introduction of Snappi will result in the sidelining of in-game leader and Young Ninjas alum Gareth ‘MisteM’ Ries, whom Esports Director Erik Wendel stated on January 3 was the “future” of NIP, leaving the possibility of a future comeback open.
New residences have, in fact, been secured for Isak ‘isak’ Fahlén and Fredrik ‘REZ’ Sterner, with Metizport and GamerLegion, respectively, being their new teams.
It’s the second complete overhaul for the Ninjas in just nine months, as they made a significant player exchange as recently as March 2024. This implies that the team will begin with 0 points in the Valve Global Standings.
There is a way to qualify for tournament invitations through Wildcard slots, but the group does not meet Valve’s criteria on their own since only ‘Snappi’ and ‘sjuush’ were part of a top-eight team in the previous year.
To increase that count to three, they will play with ‘JACKZ’—who secures his spot through his time as a stand-in with Vitality—during their debut in CCT, replacing ‘arrozdoce’.
NIP has announced that ‘JACKZ’ will participate for a “limited time,” likely around the 10-match threshold needed to be included in the Valve Standings.
Ninjas In Pyjamas Statement
Ninjas in Pyjamas roster is as follows:
- Marco ‘Snappi’ Pfeiffer
- Rasmus ‘sjuush’ Beck
- Artem ‘r1nkle’ Moroz
- Michel ‘ewjerkz’ Pinto
- Rafael ‘arrozdoce’ Wing
- Audric ‘JACKZ’ Jug (stand-in)
- Richard ‘Xizt’ Landström (coach)
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