Es3tag returns to NiP as hampus gets benched

Ninjas in Pyjamas have announced a major roster change for their CS2 team. The team has decided to bring back Patrick “es3tag” Hansen to the active lineup, replacing Hampus “hampus” Poser. The Danish rifler, who has been warming the bench since December 2022 will temporarily fill in as the team's IGL for the upcoming Roobet Cup 2023.

A familiar face

Es3tag is no stranger to NiP, as he played for the Swedish organization in 2022. He was removed from the starting five in December. The Danish rifler had a brief stint with FaZe Clan in January 2023. But he has been inactive since then and has not yet competed in a professional CS2 match.

The 26-year-old will replace hampus, who took over the in-game leadership role from Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen in July 2023. NiP replaced Hampus with Aleksib in mid-2022.

A lack of leadership

The decision to bench Hampus comes less than a month after NiP hired Björn “THREAT” Pers as the general manager of their CS2 team. THREAT, who was a former coach and player for NiP, said that he saw a “clear lack of leadership and problems with the roles” in the team and that he would “be looking into making some changes to the team.”

NiP has been struggling to find consistent results since Nicolai “device” Reedtz stepped down from the roster in late 2021. With Dev1ce, they won their first trophy since 2017 at IEM Fall 2021, but have since fallen from the top echelon of Counter-Strike.

Image Source: BLAST Premier

The team failed to impress at IEM Cologne 2023 and ESL Pro League Season 18, where they were eliminated in the early stages. They have not played a single match in CS2 yet, meaning Hampus did not get a chance to prove himself in the new game.

A new challenge

es3tag will temporarily take over the captaincy from Hampus. But NiP is looking to make another roster change to bring in a new IGL. The team currently features a mix of Swedish and Danish players. With Ludvig “Brollan” Brolin, Fredrik “REZ” Sterner, and Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke. With Daniil “headtr1ck” Valitov being the only Ukranian player, thus completing the lineup.

NiP are set to debut their new roster on Oct. 26 against Fnatic at the Roobet Cup 2023, a regional tournament featuring some of the best teams from Europe. The fans will be eager to see how es3tag performs in his return to action. And how NiP adapts to the changes.

Will es3tag be the missing piece for NiP’s CS2 puzzle? Or will they need more time and adjustments to find their groove? Only time will give us the answers to these questions.

Featured Image Source: Kim "bru1ser" Andersson / Fragbite / PGL

READ MORE: Roobet Cup 2023: all you need to know!