NiP bolsters firepower with IGL change for CS2

Ninjas in Pyjamas is moving its current CS:GO in-game leader Aleksib to the inactive lineup and bringing back Hampus Poser to fill the void, the organization announced on June 14.

This puts an end to Aleksib’s stint with the Ninjas a little more than eight months after his arrival in September 2022. The Finnish captain most notably led NiP to qualify for the IEM Rio Major in November 2022 and the BLAST Paris Major in May 2023 during his time with the squad.

As for hampus, he has been a part of NiP since May 2020 but lost the in-game leadership duties to Aleksib last year and entered a career hiatus in January 2023 in the middle of the BLAST Premier Spring Groups.

“Coming into the new season, hampus is taking up the IGL mantle once more—well-rested and hungrier than ever,” NiP said in an official statement. “We’re seriously proud to have built a structure that can accommodate a player’s need to take time off and recalibrate, and seriously happy to see Champus back in fighting shape. This change also means Aleksib has been moved to the bench. Over the past two seasons he has helped bring much-needed structure to the team that will keep serving us going forward, and we’re sincerely grateful for his time with us.”

Related: Live Counter-Strike 2023 roster tracker: CS:GO signings and rumors ahead of CS2 release

The return of hampus to NiP’s active lineup had been speculated since early June after he announced that he was ready to come back to pro play.

This roster change should bring more firepower to NiP’s roster as hampus is one of the best fragging-IGLs out there. The Swede averaged a 1.05 rating in 2021, according to HLTV, which was his last year as a full-time shot caller.

Aleksib, on the other hand, isn’t on the same level as hampus in that regard, having averaged a 0.95 rating in the past 12 months, according to HLTV.

Should NiP make no more roster changes, the organization will begin the second part of the season and eventually the CS2 cycle with hampus, k0nfig, Brollan, REZ, and Danyyl “headtr1ck” Valitov. Hampus is set to re-debut under the Ninjas’ banner at the BLAST Premier Fall Groups between July 13 to 23.