NiP:s ”Fifflaren” on EMS One: Not gonna put all our focus on one team again

The NiP team leader about Dreamhack Winter 2013 and EMS One in Katowice

At Dreamhack Winter they managed to take down long time rivals VeryGames - but still fell against fellow Swedes Fnatic after a huge upset in the finals.

That experience taught Ninjas in Pyjamas a valuable lesson as the team soon enters EMS One in Katowice, Poland.

– We're not gonna put all of our focus on one opponent again, says team leader Robin ”Fifflaren” Johansson.

When Ninjas in Pyjamas travelled to claim the throne at Dreamhack Winter 2013 it was the culmination of a very hectic year for the team. After winning basically every tournament they attended during two thirds of the year, Team VeryGames had stood in their way and knocked them out of a streak of tournaments during the fall. The Ninjas were determined to turn the trend around. In front of an ecstatic home crowd, NiP was gonna prove once and for all which CS:GO team was the best in the world.

Those plans went down the drain when Fnatic decided to rain heavily on NiP:s parade, stunning the filled auditorium into an almost complete silence, save for a corner consisting of Fnatic supporters. Looking back, the NiP leader Robin ”Fifflaren” Johansson now recalls:

– When we beat VeryGames in the semifinals we felt like it was our finals. That was bad because we still had one game left to play and it felt like we got burnt out in the semifinals. Then we faced Fnatic who were on a hot streak at the time, so it didn't turn out very good.

Do you still think about that game from time to time?

– Yes, occasionally, but almost always jokingly. After the finals we mostly felt that we threw away Dust2. We dominated them on Inferno, but Train... we just gave that away.

Did you still learn something after that experience?

– You learn something after every loss. The biggest lesson was that there are a lot of teams fighting for first place. We have to watch out so we don't just think that we're gonna face one team in the finals and that the way to the finals is gonna be easy. You can't think that way anymore, because all of the teams have gotten so good at this point. Our mentality is that we have to clear the group stage and then take it from there.

”We needed a change”

Even though they didn't leave Dreamhack Winter as kings of the hill, the season still ended on a high note for NiP as they won the Fragbite Masters and Svecup in december. After those wins the players took a well-deserved vacation and just laid low for a while. 2013 had been a backbreaking year for NiP - recording their documentary for TV6 while playing almost every tournament out there. Now they've shifted gears since january, playing some online tournaments and just focused on what may come in 2014.

One of the changes made after Dreamhack Winter is that Fifflaren now will act as in-game leader instead of teammate Richard ”Xizt” Landström.

– We talked about it after DHW, when we simply wanted a change. I started as leader when we shifted to CS:GO in 2012 and then we switched to Xizt. We have different ways of calling things. He's more relaxed, letting the individual players do what they do best. I'm more controlling, I like having decided tactics and finishes every round so we'll know what to do when things go down. That's the biggest difference and we wanna try it out and see if it works out for us.

EMS One will be the premiere for Fifflaren as leader, so it still remains to be seen wether or not the new system will work for NiP.

– We'll just have to wait and see, he says.

Looking at the tournament this weekend, who are your toughest opponents?

– It's Titan (ex Team VeryGames). Always the french guys, every day of the week. They're great and really dedicated and we've always gone head to head with them. The games are always really even and fun, and are often decided on who's got the best form for the day. Those games are fun to play.

But I guess you won't disregard the other teams again. What are your opinions about Fnatic now?

– No, we're not gonna put all our focus on one single team again. Fnatic are gonna be tough, but we don't feel like they have an advantage after Dreamhack. We've faced them a couple of times since and we feel we're better. Hopefully we'll show it too.

Earlier you spoke about how a lot of teams can compete for the top spot nowadays. How do you view your own status in CS:GO right now?

– We started our career as a winning team and have made a mark on the CS:GO-scene. People are scared of playing us but maybe not like before. But some are still like: "oh shit, we're facing NiP". We're a good team and could be top one or two at every tournament we play.

What's your dream scenario for this weekend?

– To face Titan in the finals. But wether or not we get there is a different question.