Ninjas in Pyjamas signs NaVi Junior Awper headtr1ck to round out the roster
fter the departure of es3tag and Dev1ce from the roster, Ninjas in Pyjamas will round out their roster with Awper Danyyl "headtr1ck" Valitov. The young Ukrainian previously played for Navi Junior and Navi youth and has established himself as a talented awper. The new roster will debut at the Blast Premier Spring Groups. headtr1ck will face his teammate and the newly promoted npl at the event.
The struggles of Ninjas in Pyjamas and the Awper role:
Ninjas in Pyjamas were among the first few organisations to step into CSGO. Bolstering a roster with legends like Get_Right, f0rest, Friberg, Fifflaren and Xizt. They were undefeated, going 87-0 in the starting days of CSGO. In 2014, the roster won its first and only major.
After fifflaren left the roster, the team brought Maikelele, a dedicated Awper, to the team. But the team struggled finding consistent success. Later, they brought in Allu, natu, and Pyth as the fifth, but to no avail. Eventually, Ninjas brought in Draken, but his easy misses shadowed his impressive flicks. Soon, Ninjas let go of draken and played without a dedicated Awper in the team.
Ninjas brought in Draken for another shot, but again, they failed to find any success. In 2021, Ninjas finally brought in Dev1ce, one of the most decorated Awpers in CSGO. Dev1ce and Ninjas had some impressive performances. But Dev1ce's health issues led to him taking a break from the roster.
Since Dev1ce took a leave of absence, Ninjas in Pyjamas played without a dedicated AWPer. Rez, the team's long-standing member, took on the role. Earlier this year, Astralis re-acquired Dev1ce and Ninjas were without an Awper. The team has had a decent showing in multiple events around the year. Now ahead of the 2023 season, the Ninjas decided to bench es3tag and look for a dedicated Awper. Their search consummated with headtr1ck, an 18 y.o. Ukrainian Awping talent.
Who is headtr1ck?
Danyyl "headtr1ck" Valitov started his career in 2020 with Navi Youth and later joined Navi Junior as a substitute. Navi Junior promoted him as the main member in 2021 after m0NESY left the roster. Headtr1ck made a name for himself in the two years he played with Navi Junior. He is one of the hottest prospects coming into the 2023 CSGO season and is predicted by many to be a top player in 2023.
Ninjas COO Jonas Gundersen said,
"Daniil is an exceptionally promising young AWP talent that we're incredibly happy to have onboard. He's a great fit to our whole organisation, and we're very happy to add him to our lineup. 2023 and beyond is looking promising!"
about the newest ninja.
With headtr1ck joining as the fifth and final member of the roster, the Ninjas in Pyjamas 2023 CSGO roster will be as follows:
- Fredrik "REZ" Sterner
- Hampus "HAMPUS" Poser
- Ludvig "Brollan" Brolin
- Aleksi "AleksiB" Virolainen (IGL)
- Danyyl "headtr1ck" Valitov
- Daniel "djL" Narancic (Coach)
Credits: Ninjas In Pyjamas Twitter