It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the Swedish organization in Riyadh, and even their in-game leader has no clue which version of the roster is about to hit the server. Ninjas in Pyjamas captain Marco "Snappi" Pfeiffer sat down with HLTV.org to break down his team's erratic performance at the Esports World Cup 2026, admitting that consistency is currently their biggest enemy.

When asked about their upcoming elimination match against Astralis – a squad equally plagued by form swings – Snappi didn't hold back:

"Yeah, they are beatable, definitely, but I think so are we," Snappi stated bluntly. "Sometimes it's really hard to tell which NIP is going to show up on the server. I think we have a really high level, but sometimes we tend to... we play really good when we play a bit more loose, following some kind of plan. But then mid-round we start to relax."

The veteran IGL pinpointed the core issue: a breakdown in mid-round communication when Plan A goes out the window. He confessed that the team often freezes when their initial strategy gets shut down, leading to hesitation across the board.

"Sometimes we get into these games where we follow plan A, and when plan A fails, I call plan B. Of course, there might be some hesitation if the guys aren't feeling it," he explained. "That's exactly what we're trying to improve on. I think it happened in the Legacy match, but we've been working hard in practice – and even today before the game – to make sure that in those mid-round situations, everyone contributes with micro-actions and information that can steer us in the right direction."

High Stakes in Shanghai

The pressure is on. The upcoming showdown between NIP and Astralis is a straight-up elimination bout – winner moves on to the EWC 2026 playoffs, loser packs their bags and heads home.

For NIP fans, the question remains: will the crisp, free-flowing version of the team show up, or will the hesitant, Plan-A-dependent side take the stage? Snappi and his squad have just a few hours to figure that out.