Ninjas in Pyjamas coach Richard “Xizt” Landström has drawn attention to a paradox his team currently faces: due to the specifics of ranking and qualification systems, NIP are being excluded from both tier-1 and tier-2 events. The issue has already sparked discussion within the professional scene, including comments from former tournament administrators.
Mediocre results, but consistent presence
In 2025, NIP have shown a moderate level of performance — not reaching new heights but also avoiding complete collapse. The team regularly attends major events, yet rarely advances to the playoffs. At Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2025, one of the year’s most prestigious tournaments, NIP finished in 9–12th place, failing to make it past the group stage.
While not a disaster, the result clearly reflects the team’s current state: good enough to qualify, but not strong enough to contend for titles.
The problem: caught between tier-1 and tier-2
The team didn’t discover the issue through standings, but during routine planning. NIP’s coach Xizt posted on X (Twitter) about a frustrating situation the Ninjas now find themselves in.
According to him, the team cannot compete in tier-2 tournaments because they hold a high #14 position in the European regional ranking. At the same time, they are ranked too low globally (#19) to receive direct invites to tier-1 events.
“We’re stuck between tier-2 and tier-1. Our good regional ranking prevents us from joining lower-tier events, and our poor global ranking keeps us out of big ones. It’s making scheduling really hard,” — wrote Xizt.
His post triggered a wave of discussion. Veteran tournament admin Michal Slowinski pointed out that such restrictions don’t seem to align with Valve’s official rules:
“I am confused. Isn’t this one of Valve’s rules?”
He referred to clause 3.8.4 of the VRS rulebook:
“The VRS rank of the invited roster must be lower than 12 on the Global VRS at the time of the invite date.”
In response, Xizt suggested that this rule might have been introduced by the tournament organizers (TOs) themselves, rather than mandated by Valve:
“No, seems like something the TO implemented themselves. I don’t know if they’re allowed to do that or not.”
What’s next?
This incident has exposed a deeper structural issue within the current Valve Regional Standings (VRS) system. When regional and global rankings are used separately and independently, teams like NIP can end up in a gray area — too strong for one tier, but not recognized enough for the other.
Possible solutions include:
- Reviewing invite policies from tournament organizers to prevent such exclusions;
- More flexible selection criteria that consider both global and regional context;
- Or simply better communication between teams and organizers to avoid such complications in the future.
Either way, this case with NIP serves as a warning: transparency and consistency in qualification systems are vital for the healthy development of the CS2 pro scene.
