Last reviewed: August 11, 2026
Havard “rain” Nygaard has stepped away from the in-game leader role at 100 Thieves, handing calling responsibilities to Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen after a stint of just over six months in the seat.
Speaking to HLTV in the aftermath of 100 Thieves’ Esports World Cup 2026 qualification, the Norwegian veteran was candid about why the move happened. Rain joined the organization to lead its new European project, but he now believes his even-keeled, low-volume personality wasn’t the ideal fit for a team searching for a sharper directional voice mid-round.
A calm captain in a role that wanted noise
Rain’s reputation in Counter-Strike has never been built on theatrics — he’s one of the scene’s most mechanically consistent riflers, and that same evenness carried into how he called rounds. According to his comments, 100 Thieves management and the playing group ultimately wanted more energy and assertiveness driving decisions in high-pressure moments, something Gizmy is seen as better suited to provide.
The transition wasn’t framed as a demotion so much as a redistribution of responsibility. Rain returns to the playing role he held before taking on the IGL mantle, while coach Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander — himself a decorated former in-game leader — continues to shape the team’s broader tactical framework from the bench.
Gizmy inherits the seat at the right time
The timing gives the swap real stakes immediately. 100 Thieves have just fought their way into the Esports World Cup 2026 main event, eliminating BC.Game 2-1 in a series that went to a 13-11 Anubis decider before closing out 1win 2-0 to lock their spot in Paris.
Gizmy was the standout performer in the BC.Game series, delivering two clutch rounds late that turned the tie. Taking over the calling duties on the back of that form gives him a natural head of steam heading into a 32-team field where 100 Thieves will need clean strategic execution against significantly higher-pedigree opponents.
What it means for 100 Thieves’ EWC run
In-game leader swings this close to a major event are inherently risky — new calling voices need repetitions to sync with a roster’s habits — but 100 Thieves are betting that Gizmy’s energy translates into faster in-round adjustments than rain’s more measured style allowed.
The organization’s broader European rebuild has been defined by exactly this kind of internal experimentation, and how Gizmy performs as caller against Esports World Cup-caliber opposition will be one of the clearer read-throughs on whether the project’s foundation is solid heading into the back half of 2026.
rain’s history as a caller
This isn’t the first time rain has cycled in and out of a leadership seat. Across a career that stretches back to Ninjas in Pyjamas and NIP-era CS:GO, he’s occasionally taken on shot-calling responsibilities in periods of roster transition, generally as a stabilizing presence rather than a long-term identity. The 100 Thieves stint fits that pattern — a veteran stepping up out of organizational need, then stepping back once a more natural long-term option emerges.
What’s different this time is the explicit public reasoning. Rather than a quiet swap explained only through results, rain chose to speak directly about the mismatch between his temperament and what the role demanded, a level of self-assessment that’s relatively rare in public IGL transitions and one that should make the Gizmy era easier to evaluate on its own terms rather than as a mystery reshuffle.
Gizmy’s calling résumé so far
Gizmy’s clutch-heavy performance against BC.Game is the most visible data point available on his readiness, but it’s a small sample against a single opponent. The real test starts now, against a 32-team Esports World Cup field that will include several rosters with far more tactical depth than anything 100 Thieves saw in the Open Qualifier. How quickly the team’s structure adapts to his calling tendencies — and how gla1ve’s system integrates around a new voice — will shape whether this swap reads as the fix 100 Thieves were hoping for.