Krimbo: NIP’s hectic schedule is “not normal”

Ninjas in Pyjamas were eliminated from the Thunderpick World Championship after losing consecutive series to Falcons and Aurora. New in-game leader Karim “Krimbo” Moussa said NIP should have won at least one map.

NIP entered the tournament after winning its group at Stake Pulse Beat III in Stockholm. The team arrived in Malta on Tuesday evening, played its opening match the following morning and planned to return to Sweden immediately after elimination to resume the Stake playoffs.

“It’s a crazy schedule for us right now,” Krimbo said. “We finish now, we go instantly to the airport as a team. Obviously, it’s not normal, right? But it’s also unique, and I also think it just makes us stronger as a team as well.”

NIP struggled to close out rounds in both series. On Ancient against Falcons, the team lost two eco rounds and two clutches. Aurora won several mid- and late-round situations on Cache. NIP had completed one week of uninterrupted practice, with most of its recent preparation consisting of official matches.

“Of course, we wanted to make them sweat a bit, especially Falcons and also Aurora,” Krimbo said. “They are, I don’t know, the fourth- and fifth-best teams in the world right now. And yeah, I think we should have at least won a map.”

Krimbo described the tournament as an opportunity to give the roster experience against top-level opposition. He singled out Adam “adamb” Ångström and Kacper “xKacpersky” Górski, who have limited experience at tier-one events, and said the matches would help NIP assess how it responds to pressure.

Krimbo recently took over as NIP’s in-game leader and has helped the team win two smaller LAN tournaments. He has shifted from an anchor, lurker and support role to taking greater responsibility for the team’s structure, including playing rotator positions on the Counter-Terrorist side.

“I think we still haven’t found our style yet,” Krimbo said. “We still need more time.”

NIP’s recent results have improved its position in the race for the next Major. Krimbo said he had initially been told the team had about a 3% chance of qualifying, but its two trophies had changed the situation. He added that returning to the Major would matter after missing the event since Shanghai, while stressing that qualification would not be the team’s final goal.

“It’s not about qualifying for this Major and then our job is done and we can relax,” Krimbo said. “I want us to handle every tournament, every game, the same way.”

Follow the latest CS2 developments and visit our CS2 skin market to see what is currently available.