REZ: My Dream is to Restore NIP's Glory
In a big interview with Pley.gg, Fredrik "REZ" Sterner speaks about his time at Ninjas in Pyjamas, and his dreams about the future.
With only two notable trophies in 2600 days, Fredrik "REZ" Sterner and Ninjas in Pyjamas has not seen a lot of success during the seven years, he has spent on the team.
- I want to build a bigger trophy cabinet. It is pretty painful to see that I've been in a team for so long and never really… We've been a contender for finals and semifinals a lot of times, but we never really got that trophy, so that is painful in that way, the 26-year-old Swede explains in an online interview with Pley.gg.
Over his tenure, REZ has played with an astounding 24 different players in NIP. These range from game legends like Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund and Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz to promising young talents such as Max "maxster" Jansson, recently promoted from the academy team. This constant player turnover is one reason why IEM Fall 2021 and IEM Oakland 2017 are the only significant tournament wins for a player once hailed as one of Sweden's most talented.
- I don’t know how many players I’ve played with at this point. I’ve been starting over from step one numerous times. It’s a new team every year, so I don’t see it as that crazy that I don’t have many trophies. If we had played with a roster for more than a year, I think we would have gotten more trophies, REZ reflects.
No Regrets
So why has Fredrik "REZ" Sterner stayed with NIP instead of seeking new challenges, as other players from struggling teams often do?
- I want to bring NIP back to where it was. We were good at one point and I just want to get it back to that point where it was legendary. That is my goal and dream right now, and if I quit this progress, I would just quit my dream, you know? So, that's why I'm still here. I'm so committed to what we're building here," REZ explains.
Despite the lack of trophies and the growing criticism of the organization in recent years, Fredrik "REZ" Sterner remains optimistic about Ninjas in Pyjamas as a whole, claiming he is “super happy with the organization so far.” However, when discussing his individual aspirations and whether he has wasted his prime playing for NIP, REZ is clear:
- I never had a chance really to shine in these rosters. That's what people see, and I can kind of feel it as well. But it's not really in that perspective I like to see it. I never saw myself like ‘I have to shine here in this roster and it's my time to shine’. I never thought of it that way. I saw it more as ‘what can we do to just be a good team’. I don't regret any of it really, REZ replies before adding.
- I have always put the team first. And that's why I think I'm still here, because I did everything I could to improve the team. Whatever I could do, I would do it. The role changes I did, I did it for the team because it was the best option at the moment, even though it didn't fit me as a player. I sacrificed my individual skill just to improve whatever I could to make us better. But obviously, it didn't work out most of the times.
Chaos Replaced by Structure
It’s not only been on the server that Fredrik "REZ" Sterner has experienced a hectic time in NIP. The lack of success has also seen the organization of Sweden’s most prominent esports team come under scrutiny from the public after a number of unfortunate cases.
- Of course, it has been chaotic with the different leaderships in the organization. There have been a lot of ups and downs that people don’t agree with," REZ notes before praising the new leadership of NIP, where the hiring of Erik Wendel as the Director of Esports seems to have been a step in the right direction.
- I would say when we got Erik it was probably the best addition we ever had in NIP in a long time. How he has managed to turn this ship around and structure NIP the way it is now. It is super impressive. I know it was not an easy job for him, so, I'm so glad we got him. And I think we are on a really good path now.
One of the new initiatives from the management of NIP has been to allow players to voice their opinions in the process of selecting new teammates.
- That's what's been different from the past. Like now me and alex (in-game leader for NIP) actually had a say and a voice in these meetings we had with players. We talked to a lot of AWP’ers and players during the first months of the year. So, yeah, it's been really nice to actually be heard, because at the end of the day, I'm going to play with him. I'm going to play with the player we signed. So, it's good to see if you actually click with the guy or if we are on the same page.
Later this week you can read more about the new NIP lineup, where REZ pinpoints Isak "isak" Fahlén as a crucial signing while praising Artem "r1nkle" Moroz and calling him a potential top 3 AWP’er in the world in the future.
