hampus might just be the best IGL in the world right now

If you’re going to shout ‘but karrigan!’ at me, please don’t bother. Yes, I am aware FaZe Clan beat NIP and yes, I’m also aware they’re the best team in the world right now.

I’m also aware that over a whole career, his resume speaks for itself.

But right now?

No team is overperforming expectations and talent level quite like hampus’ NIP.

Lead by example

There are three main tenets to this argument.

One is that hampus, individually, is one of the best players around, never mind IGLs. Two is that he has consistently performed miracles with mish-mash teams of stand-in academy players and no real AWPer, and three is that he has created a team that are in the top 5 with good-but-not-great talent.

To the first point; hampus is incredibly intelligent in-game – not to be confused with his IGLing intelligence. Put it this way: NiKo is a clever player, but not a clever IGL. hampus is both, but his ability to read set-ups, timings and find gaps on the T side is world class.

He’s the natural evolution of Happy. A lurking IGL with the natural ability and innate timing to take advantage of rotations and punish teams himself, instead of getting someone else to do it.

While this takes space from his stars theoretically, it’s pretty rare to have an IGL who is even capable of doing it.

hampus won games with match-ups like this.

The second is what truly makes him comparable to karrigan. While karrigan has been famous for winning events with stand-ins, hampus managed to somehow drag some very mediocre NIP rosters to not only not be embarrassing, but be genuinely competitive.

phzy, LNZ, ztr, Plopski… hampus has had academy level players and still does, and yet makes NIP look like a really, really good team. Yes, REZ and Brollan are great players, but G2 have NiKo and huNter and can’t get into playoffs.

He hasn’t even been given a consistent roster, either – he’s had to slot new players in, change his AWPer, add a new superstar in. Nothing seems to stop him. 

The final point is somewhat similar to the second, but it’s an evolution. NIP now have a consistent five, and… it’s underwhelming.

Not as a team, but as a roster. es3tag is the main AWPer. Plopski is there for some reason. REZ is a good player, but he should be the fourth best player on a good team, not second or third.

phzy, LNZ, ztr, Plopski… hampus has had academy level players…

Brollan is a genuine superstar player at his peak, and that can’t go unsaid. But in an era of superstar AWPers, of NiKo/huNter/m0NESY, s1mple/b1t/electronic and Twistzz/ropz/broky trios, hampus has had to compete with es3tag/REZ/Brollan. In fact, he hasn’t – because he’s put himself as one of those three.

This isn’t a case of “he’s an IGL who frags so he must be good!”, it’s a case of his team consistently overperforming, him having to drag them there kicking and screaming and dealing with NIP’s nonsense. 

In a rough sea, hampus is more than a steady ship; he’s a full-on cruise ship with bells, whistles and a cool-ass name. Hampus Poser? Come on, he has to have made that up.