Simon “twist” Eliasson has officially joined Ninjas in Pyjamas’ Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team.
The organization confirmed the signing on its official website. News of twist’s signing came alongside initial reports that NiP was set to split from its longtime leader, Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund, following his decision to step down from the team. NiP confirmed GeT_RiGhT’s departure, but did not initially acknowledge twist’s signing.
In its statement, NiP shared a warm welcome to twist and discussed what makes him a strong addition to the team.
“We are happy to have found a player that fits the mold both in terms of in-game skill and as a teammate,” NiP shared. “Simon, with his experience and maturity, also brings a calming presence to the server which is often underestimated as a factor in a team’s success.”
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The Swedish AWPer is joining NiP after a 10-month run with Fnatic. His time with the team was a wild one that included highs such as taking first place at the PLG Grand Slam 2018 and second place at StarSeries & i-League CS:GO Season 7, and lows like Fnatic’s failure to qualify for the StarLadder Berlin Major.
He was benched from Fnatic’s active lineup in August. The team has since added Robin “flusha” Rönnquist and Maikil “Golden” Kunda Selim. Fnatic thanked twist on Twitter and wished him luck moving forward.
Twist joins NiP at an awkward time for the organization, as it grapples with in-game struggles and renewed controversy surrounding its ugly history. These issues came to a head at the StarLadder Berlin Major, which saw the team quickly eliminated from the Legends Stage and forced into the minor circuit for the next major cycle. The addition of twist will likely shake up the team’s approach to the game, as he brings a very different playstyle to the server than that of GeT_RiGhT.
Twist’s debut with NiP will come at Dreamhack Masters Malmö, which starts on October 1. He joins Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg, Fredrik “REZ” Sterner, Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson, and Nicolas “Plopski” Gonzalez Zamora.
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