Ninjas in Pyjamas brings back Draken to replace Dennis

Dennis “dennis” Edman is taking a step back from competitive Counter-Strike.

Ninjas in Pyjamas announced that dennis would be taking some time off due to health concerns following the 2019 Katowice Major. He will remain a member of NiP, with William “draken” Sundin returning to the team as a stand-in.

The severity of his condition is unknown, with NiP stating on its website that dennis was “experiencing some energy fatigue due to heavy scheduling over the last period of time.” The announcement also came with the tease that he will return at some point in the future.

“We are looking forward to seeing him return once he is ready to compete again,” NiP said.

This comes at a disappointing time for NiP.

The Swedish team had a strong run in Katowice. Despite entering as a middling team, it managed to work its way to a top-eight finish with scrappy 3-2 records in both the Challengers Stage and the Legends Stage. That puts the team in a comfortable position for the rest of 2019, as it is guaranteed a spot in September’s Berlin Major.

Dennis was a key figure in that run. Though he didn’t typically top NiP’s scoreboard, he did have several big moments for the team, foremost among them being his monster performance in the Legends Stage opposite Team Vitality. That win sealed up a spot in the Champions Stage.

Though Dennis’ hiatus is a blow to the team, they have an apt replacement in Draken.

The Swede had a 15-month run with the team from 2017 to 2018 alongside current NiP players Fredrik “REZ” Sterner, Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund, and Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg. Though results were mixed, the team picked up a handful of first-place finishes in live events including Intel Extreme Masters Season XII Oakland and DreamHack Open Valencia.

He left the team in June 2018 to join Fnatic, but was benched just a few months later. He currently plays the AWP for Uruguay3.

While he is joining suddenly, Draken won’t get much time to practice with his new team. NiP is set for a hectic spring, which includes Esports Championship Series Season 7, BLAST Pro Series: São Paulo 2019, and StarSeries & i-League CS:GO Season 7.