Ninjas in Pajamas replace Aurora at CS Asia Championships

Ninjas in Pajamas will replace Turkey’s Aurora at the CS Asia Championships in Shanghai after Aurora failed to obtain visas to travel to the event, Perfect World announced on its website. The tournament runs May 20-24 and carries a $1 million prize pool.

Perfect World confirmed NiP was the next team in line under the event’s replacement policy, which uses the February Valve Regional Standings to fill vacated slots. In that February ranking, Ninjas in Pajamas were 24th.

The Ninjas in Pajamas roster is now majority Danish and is led by Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer. The team recently moved Martin “stavn” Lund into the AWPer role and finished third at the CCT Global Finals after stavn’s debut in that position.

NiP received the unexpected spot late in the season; without the invitation the team had only Stake Ranked Episode 2 on its schedule before the season ended. Several teams near NiP in the regional standings have more events on their calendars, including the IEM Cologne Major.

Organizers updated the official team list to include Ninjas in Pajamas as Aurora’s replacement. The CS Asia Championships field includes four teams ranked in the global top 10.

Aurora’s inability to secure travel documents prevented its participation. Tournament organizers rely on regional ranking lists to select replacement teams when travel or visa issues force withdrawals. The invitation gives NiP an additional opportunity to earn prize money and regional ranking points late in the season.