After signing device in 2021, the Ninjas In Pyjamas CS:GO roster looked like a scary prospect. However, things didn’t really pan out how they’d hoped, and device ended up on the bench in early 2022. The Danish AWPer was nowhere to be seen for the better part of a year until he re-signed with Astralis in October 2022. Now, after signing aleksib and benching es3tag, NIP is ready for another change.
This time, Daniil ‘headtr1ck’ Valitov will take center stage as the primary AWP for Ninjas in Pyjamas.
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headtr1ck replaces es3tag on Ninjas In Pyjamas CS:GO roster
We finally got an AWP. For real. pic.twitter.com/WPoGHjzckv
— NIP CSGO (@NIPCS) January 9, 2023
The move was announced earlier today (January 9, 2023) on the Ninjas In Pyjamas Twitter handle. The 18-year-old AWPer will finally fill a role that has been filled by part-timers/stand-ins. Sharing their thoughts on the move, NIP COO Jonas Gundersen had the following to say:
“Daniil is an exceptionally promising young AWP talent that we’re incredibly happy to have onboard. He’s a great fit for our whole organization, and we’re very happy to add him to our lineup. 2023 and beyond is looking promising!”
headtr1ck first made a name for himself over on the NAVI Junior team. Praised as an effective AWPer, he proved his skills at WePlay Academy League and holds a strong rating of 1.39 against academy squads. However, moving to tier-1 CS is a different beast entirely and it remains to be seen how he performs. As of now, es3tag remains benched and no signing for him has been announced.
As it stands, the NIP roster looks like this:
Starting lineup
- Fredrik “REZ” Sterner
- Hampus “hampus” Poser
- Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin
- Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen
- Daniil “headtr1ck” Valitov
Other members
- Daniel “djL” Narancic (coach)
- Patrick “es3tag” Hansen (benched)
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