isak: "NIP has been all I’ve been looking up to since I started playing the game"

NIP's latest addition was surprised by how fast the team came together at YaLLa Compass.

Ninjas in Pyjamas's newest signing, Isak "⁠isak⁠" Fahlén, took some time to speak with HLTV after the YaLLa Compass group stage. The European squad took Group A by storm, finishing with a 4-1 record, and are now slated to play fnatic in the quarter-finals.

Date	Matches
YaLLa Compass 2024
07/06/2024	Ninjas in Pyjamas 19:45 fnatic	Match

You're through to the YaLLa Compass playoffs. You went 4-1 in your group. What are your overall impressions from your run here?

I would say we didn't expect that much when coming in. We just wanted to kind of see how we were as a team on LAN, and I think we played above our expectations a bit. We all knew what we could do it, but for it to come on such short notice, it's very nice to see.

Most notably, you won against Astralis. What did you feel when you managed to pull off such an upset?

I would say the game against them was pretty hectic. We lost a lot of rounds we should have won, and I can say we probably won some rounds we should have lost, as well. So it was a very fun game to play.

I think all of the boys were very happy when we won that game. It just shows us that if we have the right mindset and the right energy, we can make upsets.

You didn't manage to win against The MongolZ, though. What didn't work in that game that worked in the other games that you managed to win?

I think we lost a lot of entries, to begin with. We didn't get the space we needed as we have done in practice. And I think individually, they're all very insane right now.

It was impossible to get multi-kills against them. You just get insta-traded after one kill. I think they have really good momentum; all five players are showing up incredibly right now.

Your last match in the group was against Sashi. It started rather late, and due to the round-robin format, it didn't affect anything for both teams, even the prize pool. How do you just set yourself up for this game, considering it was effectively meaningless?

For that game, we did it like we've done it with every other game. For us, it's important to get the points for Valve ranking. I don't know if it counts, I think it does.

We just came here to this tournament to play for the points and get the RMR invitation since it's the most important thing to do. So we took that game as seriously as every other game.

I would like to ask you about GamerLegion. You played for that team for about three years and made a Major final with them. Was it your call to leave GamerLegion and go elsewhere? If yes, why?

My contract was coming to an end and I was looking around at different options. You know, I feel like it started to take a toll on me when we made all the changes, and I always felt like we took a step back, took some steps forward, and then we went back since we did some roster changes.

My contract was coming to an end, and I was talking a bit with GamerLegion, as well. But, you know, I was looking at different options and different offers, and I decided to go with NIP.

The announcement happened a month ago. Can you go into a bit more detail on how the move happened?

I mean, it went pretty quickly. I think I signed the contract during the EPL, but everyone on the team knew during the whole EPL that it was my last tournament.

We just played it as normal, and I think we did fine in that tournament with GL. The day after we went out, I got announced while I was at the airport, so it was a very fast announcement. I think it had to be done.

NIP specifically said that your signing wasn't about you being Swedish. But did NIP, being a Swedish org with some Swedish players, play a role for you?

Oh yeah, definitely yes. NIP has been all I’ve been looking up to since I started playing the game. You know, it doesn't really matter that much that we have a Swedish flag.

I think we have some more Swedish fans now with the flag, but we’re still an international team. We're not treating it like we're a Swedish team, and it doesn't feel like one, but it's nice to represent the flag.

NIP have been in a bit of turmoil in the last year. Did you have any concerns about that when joining the team? What convinced you the project had the future?

What convinced me the most are the resources that NIP has and the masterminds behind the team — if you can call it that. We have Xizt and THREAT, who I believe in very much. I think they're two really great individuals. And, yeah, the change in management in the org and stuff like that made me want to make the change.

What are your impressions from playing with r1nkle? He seems quite emotional, he screams a lot. Does it help to boost the mood within the team?

Yeah, obviously, when you have a guy screaming as much as he does, it helps everyone boost the morale of the team, as well. So it's very nice to have him.

What do you think of him inside the server? How does it feel to play with him since he's a relatively young player?

Yeah, he's not that experienced; he's played a couple of LANs. But he's a very, very active AWPer, and I think the kind of AWPer who can change the game really quickly. He's a very funny guy, and he's very nice to play with.

And the last question, what are your expectations from today's match against fnatic? Is there any special feeling within the team because of all the history between NIP and fnatic?

No, I wouldn't say there are any feelings because of the history. Not for me, at least. But it's gonna be a fun game. We just want to go in there to have fun and gather the experience.

We don't really care about the result too much since this is our first LAN tournament with each other. We just want to get out there, play, and see how we do it in the arena