rain Steps Away From IGL Role as Gizmy Takes Control of 100 Thieves

Håvard “rain” Nygaard says stepping away from in-game leadership at 100 Thieves has allowed him to return to the role he enjoys most.

The Norwegian veteran originally joined the organisation’s new European Counter-Strike 2 project as its captain, but the arrangement lasted just over six months. During the offseason, 100 Thieves added Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen and handed the 22-year-old control of the team. rain has now explained that his own calm personality may simply not have been the ideal fit for the leadership style the roster wanted.

The change has already produced an important result. 100 Thieves successfully survived the Esports World Cup Open Qualifier and earned their place in the main event.

rain Is Happier Back in His Old Role

rain’s move away from leadership was not a sudden decision.

He revealed that coach Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander approached him during the first half of the season and asked whether he genuinely wanted to continue as an in-game leader. That conversation made rain reconsider what he enjoyed most about competing.

Ultimately, returning to his familiar playing role was an attractive option. He can now concentrate on his own responsibilities inside the server rather than carrying the additional pressure of directing the entire team.

The transition means 100 Thieves now operate with:

• Gizmy as the primary in-game leader
• rain returning to his established rifling roles
• gla1ve overseeing the team as coach
• a tactical system increasingly built around Gizmy’s ideas

rain believes his personality may simply have been too relaxed for the type of IGL 100 Thieves needed.

He described himself as calm when teammates make mistakes, whereas the organisation wanted somebody capable of providing more immediate and forceful feedback.

Gizmy Brings a More Demanding Leadership Style

The contrast between rain and Gizmy appears to be significant.

rain characterised the British captain as direct, hungry and focused on getting details right. Gizmy is prepared to immediately point out mistakes, even something as small as a poorly executed grenade.

That perfectionist approach provides the stronger leadership personality 100 Thieves were apparently looking for.

100 Thieves member	Current role
Gizmy	In-game leader
device	AWPer
rain	Rifler
sirah	Rifler
poiii	Rifler
gla1ve	Coach

Gizmy has also received considerable tactical freedom. rain said the team has been spending three to four hours per day in theory sessions while learning the new captain’s system.

There is still plenty of information for the players to process, and rain does not believe the roster is close to its full potential yet.

That makes qualification for EWC particularly encouraging. The lineup has already achieved an important result while still adapting to a new tactical structure.

100 Thieves Survive a Difficult EWC Qualifier

The path through Paris was not comfortable.

100 Thieves had to survive three consecutive playoff series to reach the Esports World Cup main event. Their closest moment came against BC.Game, where rain believed the tournament run was effectively over during a crucial late-round situation on Nuke.

Gizmy instead produced one of the defining clutches of the series and helped keep 100 Thieves alive. rain praised both his calling and individual plays after qualification.

Several elements stood out during the qualifier:

• 100 Thieves maintained strong energy through multiple series
• Gizmy delivered important calls and high-pressure clutches
• The team survived an extremely close battle against BC.Game
• Their final qualification series felt more controlled

The workload was still demanding. rain said the players were visibly running out of energy by the end after several matches and constant communication throughout the event.

For a newly restructured team, surviving that pressure is a useful early sign.

rain Prefers Facing Tier 1 Opposition

Qualification means 100 Thieves will now encounter considerably stronger opposition at the main Esports World Cup event.

That prospect does not concern rain.

After spending most of his career competing at the highest level, he actually prefers playing established Tier 1 teams. Their approach is more familiar to him, whereas lower-tier opposition can sometimes create unpredictable and chaotic situations that are harder to read.

The experience accumulated during his long FaZe career should therefore become particularly valuable as the level of competition increases.

At the same time, rain remains realistic about 100 Thieves’ development. The roster is still absorbing Gizmy’s system and needs more time before reaching its ceiling.

Assessment

Moving rain away from in-game leadership looks increasingly like a logical decision for both player and team.

His short period as captain was not necessarily a failure. Instead, it clarified what type of leadership 100 Thieves wanted and where rain can provide the most value.

Gizmy offers a more demanding and perfectionist personality, while rain can return his attention to the individual roles in which he built his reputation over more than a decade of elite Counter-Strike.

The early result is promising. 100 Thieves survived a difficult open qualifier and will now compete against stronger opposition at the EWC main event.

The bigger question is how quickly Gizmy’s system develops. rain says the team is nowhere near its peak yet, which gives 100 Thieves considerable room for improvement. If qualification in Paris is only the starting point, the decision to restructure the leadership could become one of the most important moves of their new CS2 project.