After years of leading some of Counter-Strike’s most respected lineups, Marco "Snappi" Pfeiffer has joined Ninjas in Pyjamas as the new in-game leader of their CS2 roster. In this exclusive interview from January, Snappi shares his early impressions of the team, his vision for 2025, and how he plans to build a world-class structure around a fresh lineup. From adapting his playstyle to unlocking the potential of players like r1nkle, Snappi talks us through what it takes to turn NIP into a top-tier contender.
So, how do you feel about joining NIP?
Snappi: From the start, I had a warm welcome and a good vibe. Kind of reminds me of, in a way, the ENCE days, where it was like a very tight group that tried to understand each other and work for each other.
I think that's when most people will know you from, building up that roster and doing really well with some huge talents. Now, you'll be working once again with some pretty young talents. How do you feel about this roster and what do you think you can bring to them?
Snappi: I feel that what I'm good at is trying to get the best out of people. If I can help the young guys improve by even 5%, that’s a win. And then also, I think it's important that I find my way back to my own self, because I felt like I lost a bit of it last year. And I needed to come here and do what I did in ENCE for the young guys.
You mentioned that you've lost something of yourself in the last year. How do you look to rebuild yourself? What are you looking to improve for yourself as an IGL?
Snappi: I mean, for me, it was just tough last year, both on a personal level but also on a professional level. So, I just see this as a fresh start. Where I can work together with Richard (Xizt), Daniel (sprayXD), and Troels.
It's also about improving some areas in myself. So I would just say that I'm just looking forward to getting a fresh start.
Yeah. Coming into NIP, of course, you've been around the block quite a while. So you know some of the old legends of NIP. Now you'll be working directly with Richard but also in a way with Threat and others. How do you feel about joining NIP as an org and working with these old legends of the past?
Snappi: I feel good about it. I think Richard has done a good job both as a player but also as a coach. I think he did a good job in Heroic where he was before also. And I have a really good vibe with him already, I would say. I think our personalities so far fit well together and I hope that continues.
I think for Threat, obviously I know him all the way back from 1.6 also and he seems like a very smart guy that I can also bounce ideas off or get feedback in terms of my role in the team. So I would say that those two combined with Daniel and Troels is going to provide a lot of feedback that I can use here.
So working with Richard, as you said, he's a legend. It's going to be fun. I think I played against him a lot of times and also when he was a coach. So it's going to be fun to be with him on the server instead.
So you're coming into this new roster. What is your biggest challenge, do you think?
Snappi: I think a big challenge will maybe be a little bit regarding the roles. Both Rasmus and Rafa have played a lot of the same roles. So we need to kind of improve some of the roles, which means that they might need to reinvent certain aspects of their game.
But I don't think it's going to be a problem. I think Rasmus is generally a pretty smart guy that seems pretty creative, but also Rafa is still very young in his career, so it should be easy to adapt certain things.
How do you feel about working with r1nkle?
Snappi: He’s the perfect young player. Motivated, hard-working, a good teammate. I’m really looking forward to helping him grow.
What’s your approach when developing young players?
Snappi: It’s about letting them grow without killing their confidence. Give them the tools, push them in the right direction, but don’t give them every answer. At the end of the day, it’s mostly on them to want it and put in the work.
Yeah, that makes sense. So how do you get people to smile when things are going badly?
Snappi: We all affect each other, we affect each other's emotions, so I think having to drive a project forward, people need to believe in the future of the team. That is a key thing.
Maybe me as the captain can impact it more, but there will still be certain players that have a big impact on mood. But let's say that someone is very extroverted, they can maybe have a bigger impact on the mood than a silent guy. So it's also important that people understand that we are all in this together.
Yeah, and of course you're going to be having a lot of grinding this year because it's going to be zero points. How do you feel about this, the whole VRS and the way it affects our team?
Snappi: Yeah, it's probably going to be the biggest challenge, to be honest. And I think this is going to be something that we'll need to kind of do day by day. Trying to use ranking rules as much as we can to our advantage in order to just climb it as quickly as possible. And then also have patience because even though we might be a really good team, if we can't really show it, we can't really do anything about it. Like we need to get into the tournaments.
But we also have to understand that it will take some time. So I would say that patience is key, and also understanding that we can be a good team without it actually showing in the rank.
How do you feel about NIP so far walking around the office and meeting the squad?
Snappi: I mean, it feels very professional. I think I would say it's up there with probably it's the most professional setup I've seen. Obviously, I haven't been everywhere. I think it reminds me a lot about ENCE and I say that in a good way, that it feels like there's a nice warm feeling. Obviously, NIP is bigger, there's more staff. But it does remind me in a lot of ways about ENCE, which I say again is a really good thing because I really, really like it over there.
Nice. And what should fans expect from you and your personal playstyle? What are you bringing to the server and what are fans going to see?
Snappi: I think my playstyle will change depending on the players. I’ll have to evaluate that with Richard and Daniel. I’ll bring my style from the start, but we’ll adapt based on the roster. Artem seems like a very aggressive AWPer, so we’ll need to build around that.
Some players are a bit quieter in comms, which isn’t a problem, but it means we might need to adjust the style so they can still play their best without talking too much. We’ll adapt to the players we have and build a system together.
And where should that lead us? If 2025 is the perfect year for NIP, where do we stand in that?
Snappi: That leads us to a situation where in 2026 we are part of all the biggest tournaments coming into the year. We have an established rank within the top 10. And we have a roster that has played together and built a system.
And we are in every single big tournament and have the chance to compete for titles. Because I think we have to understand that we need patience this year, because we aren't in any tournaments. It would be easier to say, if it was still the old system where we would have Blast and ESL events, it would be easy to say, yeah, but we should be in the top 10 after the summer, which I think would be a realistic thing.
But the issue is now that we aren't in those tournaments so we cannot be in the top 10 until we actually get to the tournaments. So I would say the best case scenario would be that we grind the rank up good enough so that we by next year are an established top 10 team. And we are coming into the season fresh with a roster we believe in.
And we can really compete for the titles.
Do you have any closing words, anything you'd like to say to the fans?
Snappi: I mean, I think that the main thing is that I hope you obviously are going to support us. I'm proud to join such a legacy organization and I think I am the right man to lead in-game in order to get NIP back where they belong. But I also have to say that we need patience because even though I believe we are actually a good team from the get-go, if we aren't in the tournaments, we can't climb yet.
So patience is a key word because we need to get up in the ranks slowly and then I promise we'll get there.
With a strong focus on system-building, patience, and long-term growth, Snappi’s arrival marks a new era for NIP in CS2. While 2025 will be a year of grinding rankings and building chemistry, the goal is clear: enter 2026 as a stable, top team ready to fight for trophies on the biggest stages.
