Rain steps down as 100 Thieves IGL, returns to playing role

Håvard “rain” Nygaard has given up the in‑game leader role for 100 Thieves‘ European roster and will return to the non‑IGL playing duties he held before taking on captaincy. The change follows just over six months as team leader and an offseason addition of Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen to the lineup.

Rain said the decision came after a midseason conversation with Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, who asked whether captaincy was truly what rain wanted. He decided to step back to concentrate on individual performance and on the roles he prefers to play.

100 Thieves secured a spot in the Esports World Cup main event by advancing through the open qualifier. The team played three back‑to‑back series in one day and faced a narrow escape against BC.Game. Rain highlighted a clutch round on Nuke by Gizmy that prevented an early exit.

He described the qualifier as physically and vocally draining, with players exhausted and their voices hoarse after repeated matches, but said the roster completed the schedule and advanced to the main event.

Rain contrasted his leadership style with Gizmy’s. He described himself as calm and laid back, reluctant to call out teammates during matches. He said Gizmy is more direct and demanding, pushing for precision and strict execution. “I’m very laid back and calm — I’m not going to tell someone, ‘Don’t worry about it,’ when they make a mistake,” he said, and added, “Jack will tell you if you mess up a nade, that’s for sure.”

To adapt to Gizmy’s approach, the team has run theory sessions of three to four hours daily to learn the new system. Rain said the system fits the squad but that the team has not reached its peak performance and will need time to refine the style.

Looking ahead to the Esports World Cup main event, rain expects tougher opponents as a lower seed. He said he prefers facing established tier‑one teams because their tempo and patterns are familiar, and expressed confidence as the roster prepares for higher‑level competition with a new in‑game leader.