NIP overhaul roster with Snappi, sjuush and SAW-duo

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Can the Snappi-led Ninjas take the org back to the top?

The esports team Ninjas In Pyjamas has officially announced their roster changes for the upcoming 2025 season. The revamped squad will keep Artem “r1nkle” Moroz on board, while adding four new members to the AWPer position. Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer leads the list of NIP’s newest signings, along with Rasmus “sjuush” Beck, a long-time player from Heroic, and the SAW duo Michel “ewjerkz” Magalhães and Rafael “arrozdoce” Wing.

Snappi takes the reigns at NIP

According to HLTV and Guillaume ‘neL’ Rathier, Snappi has been hired as the In-Game Leader by NIP, taking charge of the team moving forward. Known for his success in scouting and guiding international rosters at c0ntact and ENCE, Snappi had high expectations when he moved to the Falcons, a move intended to bolster their trophy collection. However, the lack of a consistent standout player hindered the team’s progress, ultimately leading to his departure from the squad.

Currently, the Danish individual is heading back to Scandinavia with aspirations of reinvigorating the NIP brand. Despite some setbacks that may have affected his market value, both NIP and a significant portion of the CS:GO community view him positively due to his past successes in shaping raw talent into top-tier performers. The roster seems tailored for him.

Additionally, NIP plans to recruit sjuush, Heroic’s final player, as both an anchor and support member.

ewjerkz and arrozdoce – SAW’s stars go international

Strengthening Snappi’s NIP squad will be ex-SAW members arrozdoce and ewjerkz. The reasons behind arrozdoce’s departure from SAW were puzzling, as he was benched following his desire to leave the team at year-end. This decision led SAW to bench him before the RMR, which they failed to qualify for, missing out on the Shanghai Major. In a similar vein, ewjerkz found himself on the bench towards the end of the season as well.

As a devoted fan, I’m thrilled about the new addition to the team, who have demonstrated their prowess at major tournaments, such as their impressive Top 4 finish at IEM Cologne. Their role will be instrumental in boosting r1nkle’s leading fragging output. However, this move also signifies the conclusion of Fredrik “⁠REZ⁠” Sterner’s illustrious career with NIP.

Can Snappi and Co. lead NIP back to the top?

Since 2023, NIP has been experiencing a freefall, causing the organization to slide down the rankings without significant advancements in sight. A series of roster shifts and a subsequent reorganization within their esports division have led to a comprehensive transformation by 2025. Unlike teams such as Heroic and Falcons who are believed to be leveraging pre-existing player groups to boost their VRS rankings and invitations to new organizations, NIP is opting for a long-term rebuild with an entirely new group of players.

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2025-01-15 18:40