Ninjas In Pyjamas Are Tilting At Windmills
Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) were quick to take a leap of faith into the early VALORANT esports space but have been left fatigued fighting enemies that might not have ever existed in the first place. That’s the feeling of the current NiP strategy in VALORANT; they clearly have good intentions with the game but aren’t letting their rosters fully proof. Throughout their stay in VALORANT, they seem to be running headlong into the wind and tilting at windmills.
Entering the space with their former championship Paladins roster, Ninjas in Pyjamas was hit the ground running with a strong showing winning the Wave Esports Cup #1 earlier this March. However, just after two months of solid performances, the roster disbanded. Iteration is something that should be valued, especially at the start of an esports, however, when does the system settle into itself and begin to refine?
Their next attempt was with the core of the promising French amateur team, HypHypHyp, lead by former Overwatch League player Damien "HyP" Souville. Alongside him came the French core of Charles "CREA" Beauvois and Enzo "Fearoth" Mestari two members who were paramount in their former team's success. This success was mirrored in their first few events, earning high marks throughout the summer at the Mandatory.gg Cup, the WePlay! Invitational, and LVL Clash 2. However, consistent 3-4th finishes did not bode well for the team's future.
Being rated 8th in Europe by vlr.gg clearly did not meet the expectations set by the team, and once again, NiP was swift with action. Now the French core has been broken up, with HyP and Fearoth departing and replaced with former Bonk ace, Saif "Sayf" Jibraeel, and preliminary reports from 1pv.fr have Entropiq Sentinel player, Egor "chiwawa" Stepanyuk, trialling with the team. This is where the pattern starts to show itself.
At what point does the need to iterate meet understanding, both in terms of what the team needs to improve and what the identity of the team is going to be? Failing fast is usually to be respected, but here it seems like directionless execution.
Taking three French players out of an entirely French lineup and asking them not to communicate in English has to be given some form of leeway. The question is; were they given the time to gel? The COO of Ninjas in Pyjamas, Jonas Gundersen, has gone on record saying "[Ninjas in Pyjamas] strive to be the best team in the world at everything we do and the road to achieving that in [VALORANT] is both new and incredibly exciting." Again, failing fast is respectable, but when does the buck stop? When is it the system that's flawed rather than the players within it?
Obviously, it is a fair argument to make that this could just be a case study, just a one-off thing. It also could just be a matter of coincidence that Ninjas in Pyjamas continues their rotating door and have now found the right fit. However, in an interview with thespike.gg, Yacine "Yacine" Laghmari spoke candidly about his rather unpleasant experience trialling for NiP. Stating that Malkolm "bonkar" Rench had to "vouch for him", which ultimately cost him his own contract. This run around makes it difficult to give Ninjas in Pyjamas, the organisation, any benefit of the doubt.
Yacine also goes on to mention that Bonk teammate, Leo "ziz" Jannesson, was approached with a similar offer to Sayf, which has lead the community to speculate that perhaps more roster moves were originally intended outside of just the departure of HyP and Fearoth.
When two players, being Yacine and bonkar, leave your organisation, build their own team and beat you, not once, but twice, what does that say? At the Mandatory.gg Cup NiP fell at the hands of Bonk in the semifinals, 1-2. Their second meeting would be just under a month later at LVL Clash 2, where Bonk would sneak past the Ninjas in the semifinals, 1-2. Now don’t let irony and dramatic narratives become the hand that waves away a sobering claim. Look at what happened with Bonk, do you hear the echoes with HyP and Fearoth?
This isn’t a death knell for NiP either, don’t let this critique polarise you into thinking this organisation isn’t performing well. We also have to consider what they’ve gained in these moves as well. Ninjas in Pyjamas have also gained one of Europe’s future stars in Sayf, someone who has been a consistent threat in the region on Bonk. However, a roster full of stars does not make a team. Is this the roster they commit to building on or will it be the next iteration? Ninjas in Pyjamas have sat continuously in a very competitive pack that looks to challenge G2 Esports for the best team in Europe. However, most teams are whittling down their roster, refining them to the best of their abilities, whereas Ninjas in Pyjamas feel as though they fold at the first sign of trouble. This “non-starter” air to them won’t see them regress, but it’s their growth that is up for debate.
It’s clear that Ninjas in Pyjamas have an identity crisis, but constantly tilting at windmills isn’t solving the problem either. Attempting to fix a problem that either doesn’t exist or isn’t properly understood is directly counter-productive to the end goal of becoming the best team in Europe. No amount of giants slain or players rotated will earn you the glory you so desperately are looking for. There is, however, one constant trend that has repeated itself throughout VALORANT’s short history; the speed at which you evaluate your roster before disbanding your teams.
Clarity and patience are just on the horizon, but this all comes down to one question; what do you see, Ninjas in Pyjamas?
Windmills or giants?
Images via Riot Games
