Written by Dante Uzel on 25 February 2025 14:34
Source: Ninjas in Pyjamas
Audric "JACKZ" Jug will no longer stand in for Ninjas in Pyjamas, as the team’s eligibility for wildcard invites has expired.
NIP previously qualified for wildcard invites due to having a core of three players—Marco "Snappi" Pfeiffer (now with Falcons), Rasmus "sjuush" Beck (HEROIC), and JACKZ (Vitality)—who were in the top eight of Valve’s Global Standings over the past 12 months. However, a recent rule change reduced the required period from 12 months to 6 months, making NIP ineligible as of February 25. Snappi was last in the top eight on March 3, 2024.
Currently ranked 158th in Valve's Global Standings, Ninjas in Pyjamas are far from securing regular tournament invites. Earlier this month, the organization was among 22 teams that signed an open letter criticizing Valve’s approach to the 2025 competitive ecosystem, arguing that the scene is overly dependent on ranking-based invitations.
With wildcard eligibility gone, NIP must now rely on notoriously difficult online qualifiers to earn their place in events. As they begin 2025 with a new, unranked core, they face a long climb back up the standings.
Tags: NiP
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