Ninjas In Pyjamas Ninjas In Pyjamas Inactive have signed former Keyd Stars Keyd Stars Inactive players Gabriel "v1xen" Martins and Jonathan "JhoW" Glória as player and coach to finalize their roster.
Following their entry into the Brazilian scene at the start of 2022's VCT, NIP breezed through the closed qualifiers and group stage of Brazil's Stage 1: Challengers. Eager to qualify for Masters: Reykjavik in the playoffs, NIP took a win over FURIA FURIA Brazil Rank #5 heat Olavo Marcelo raafa Rafael Lima mwzera Leonardo Serrati havoc Ilan Eloy Khalil Khalil Schmidt in the upper semifinals, but lost against LOUD LOUD Brazil Rank #2 dgzin Douglas Silva v1nny Vínicius Gonçalves pANcada Bryan Luna tuyz Arthur Andrade cauanzin Cauan Pereira in the upper final, sending them to the lower bracket.
Despite defeating Keyd Stars in the lower bracket final, the team was unable to win their rematch against LOUD in the grand final and were sent to the LATAM/BR LCQ, where they would face LEVIATÁN LEVIATÁN Latin America South Rank #1 Demon1 Max Mazanov tex Ian Botsch kiNgg Francisco Aravena C0M Corbin Lee nataNk Nathan Bocqueho in their last chance at qualifying for Reykjavik. The ninjas refused to buckle under pressure as they booked their ticket to Iceland by defeating the opponents without dropping a map.
Entering the group stage of Masters: Reykjavik, NIP found themselves matched up against DRX DRX Korea Rank #4 Flashback Cho Min-hyuk (조민혁) MaKo Kim Myeong-gwan (김명관) Athan Na Ha-jun (나하준) freeing No Ha-jun (노하준) HYUNMIN Song Hyun-min (송현민) , ZETA DIVISION ZETA DIVISION Japan Rank #2 Dep Yuma Hashimoto SugarZ3ro Shota Watanabe CLZ Hikaru Mizutani SyouTa Shota Aoki Xdll Yuto Mizomori , and FNATIC FNATIC Europe Rank #3 crashies Austin Roberts Sayonara Ștefan Mîtcu stand-in Boaster Jake Howlett kaajak Kajetan Haremski Chronicle Timofey Khromov Alfajer Emir Ali Beder . Despite being favored by many to lose against the European powerhouse, NIP triumphed over their opponents in convincing fashion. One match away from qualifying into the playoffs, the team faced DRX in Group A's winner match, but were defeated in 2-0 fashion, sending them to meet ZETA DIVISION in the decider match.
The ninjas once again refused to give in to the pressure of facing elimination, but were unable to replicate their previous success as they fell to their Japanese adversaries in a three-map series, eliminating them from their first international tournament.
Nearly two weeks later, NIP made changes to their roster by benching bnj and releasing coaches Rogerio "RoY" Lopez and Vinícius "fluyr" Menegatti prior to the group stage of Brazil Stage 2: Challengers 1. Left with a vacant position on the active roster and no coach, the organization looked in the direction of JhoW and v1xen, who were both moved to the bench of Keyd Stars following their exit from Stage 1 Challengers Brazil in March.
NIP's first match following their return from Reykjavik will be in the group stage of Brazil's Stage 2: Challengers, beginning next weekend on May 14.