Martin “stavn” Lund has joined Ninjas in Pyjamas as the team’s primary AWPer. The 24-year-old Dane replaces Artem “r1nkle” Moroz, who has been moved to the bench following NIP’s failure to qualify for the IEM Cologne Major.
Stavn had been away from competitive CS for eight months. He stepped down from Astralis to deal with personal issues that trace back to the death of his brother in 2021.
In January 2026, he posted a statement confirming his desire to return. “With professional therapy and patience, I now feel more grounded than before and ready to strive for greatness,” he wrote at the time.
He is now back, and this time in a different role. Stavn played as a hybrid or secondary AWPer throughout his career. At NIP, he steps into the primary sniper spot.
The move brings Stavn back together with two people he knows well. Rasmus “sjuush” Beck and coach Richard “Xizt” Landström were both part of HEROIC, the project where Stavn had his best results. He also has a history with captain Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer, having played alongside him in HEROIC’s pre-COVID lineup.
R1nkle Benched After Cologne Miss
NIP’s failure to qualify for IEM Cologne led directly to this roster move. R1nkle, 21, had been the starting AWPer but was benched as the organisation looked to make changes. Michel “ewjerkz” Pinto also remains on the bench.
Alongside the Stavn signing, NIP confirmed that 19-year-old Polish player Kacper “xKacpersky” Gabara’s loan from ENCE has been made permanent. He was ranked as the number one Prospect in HLTV’s Prospects Season 2 for March 2026.
NIP’s Current Roster
The confirmed squad heading into the road to the Singapore Major:
- Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer
- Rasmus “sjuush” Beck
- Kacper “xKacpersky” Gabara
- Artem “cairne” Mushynskyi
- Martin “stavn” Lund
- Richard “Xizt” Landström (coach)
