100 Thieves is officially going bold with its CS2 roster, but the line between genius and insanity is a fine one

A new report indicates that 100 Thieves is close to finalizing the signing of Alex “poiii” Nyholm Sundgren from Alliance. “Who?” I hear you ask. It’s not a name that fans of Tier 1 will be familiar with, and with good reason, but one that Tier 2 viewers will definitely have had on their radar of upcoming talents.

With this potential signing, 100 Thieves has officially signalled the direction its CS2 roster is taking. Bold. Brave. Potentially stupid, some would argue. So, which is it? Let’s unpack.

poiii signals 100 Thieves is building from the bottom

When poiii is officially confirmed by 100 Thieves, he will join first-time IGL and coach duo rain and gla1ve. It’s expected they’ll be joined by dev1ce on the AWP, singular pieces plucked from different teams. A Swede, a Norwegian, and two Danes walk into a bar – there’s something there. A Nordic powerhouse, so far. But in going for poiii, it seems 100 Thieves is abandoning the idea of signing a VRS core, which would give them immediate event invites in 2026. The earlier rumor was that the GamerLegion core of PR, Tauson, and REZ would be signed, although this now seems to have fallen apart amid a rumored MOUZ switch for PR.

In practice, this means that 100 Thieves are starting from the bottom. The NIP approach (more on that later). They get their ideal roster from the off, but have to run the notoriously brutal gauntlet of online Counter-Strike and open qualifiers to gather VRS points, just to get anywhere. Even when it goes well, it’s the long-winded approach. With IEM Cologne Major invites being sent out in April, 100 Thieves would pretty much have to win *every* match they play in to even stand a chance. That might be hyperbole, but equally, it might not be.

Now, we won’t exactly see legends like dev1ce and rain spend their entire 2026 through the lens of poor-quality webcams and dimly-lit bedrooms. Online Counter-Strike will be important for 100 Thieves, but it won’t be the be-all and end-all. Open sign-up LANs such as Fragadelphia and DraculaN have been a total game-changer in this regard. They can fly around the world, farming local LAN wins for extra boosts to the VRS points.

And with VRS guru messioso working as Head of CS Operations for 100 Thieves, they will know precisely what tournaments they can benefit from signing up for more than others for the quickest ascent up the Valve Regional Standings. It’s an immeasurable advantage over the competition in the rankings.

There is one glaring issue, though: they still have to win.

Gambles at every turn could massively backfire for 100 Thieves

In theory, any team featuring rain and dev1ce should already have more than enough quality to demolish Tier 2 and below opposition. But in practice, it may not play out like this. Below Tier 1, matches get notoriously weird, and experience at the top won’t necessarily help overcome this without brutally overwhelming firepower. With respect to rain and dev1ce, that’s not exactly their thing in 2025.

In all of their pieces, 100 Thieves are taking a risk. Importantly, rain is in-game leading for the first time in his career. He’s had perhaps the best master in karrigan throughout his career, but this counts for little. And in gla1ve, 100 Thieves are gambling on a debutant coach in gla1ve. Once one of the best minds to ever grace the game, to be sure, but leading the way in and out of the server are very different skills.

Not even dev1ce is a sure thing – now in his 30s, he has looked distinctly mortal throughout 2025. By the time we get to poiii, we’re just glad to have a player helping 100 Thieves dodge the “unc roster” allegations.

It is risk at every turn for 100 Thieves. Calculated risk, perhaps, but risk nonetheless. For the team to be a success, there are so many “maybes” that have to come to fruition. Will rain be a good in-game leader? Can gla1ve translate his mind for the game into the coaching role? Can dev1ce avoid becoming painfully washed in front of our eyes? Is poiii ready for a step-up in expectations? The answers to all of these questions have to be “yes,” or 100 Thieves could find themselves wasting an awful lot of money, for very little in return. That’s before you get into any potential concerns about the remaining two pieces they pick up. They have to head to these open sign-up LANs and win them. They will face stiff competition, and if they don’t show up immediately, it could be a very long year for 100 Thieves.

Ninjas in Pyjamas are the blueprint for 100 Thieves. Starting from the bottom with a brand-new roster in 2025, they had reached the point by the end of the year where they were finally getting consistent LAN invites. They even nabbed a Major spot in Budapest, such was their rapid progress. But the NIP project was different from the outset for a few reasons: the leadership pieces.

The Ninjas had Xizt as their coach. Rate him or not, his heroics with cadiaN’s Heroic team made him the perfect choice for a team looking to rise. He was joined by Snappi as the in-game leader. Although his stock was low after a tough Falcons stint, dragging teams up the rankings had been his specialty for years. A real “been there, done that” captain. So while rain and gla1ve may be flashier names for 100 Thieves, there’s no doubt they’re taking the bigger gamble.

There’s only one way to know for sure: wait and see. Dull, I know. But when all is said and done, there will be those who tell you with the all-seeing benefit of hindsight that they always knew how this would transpire, for better or worse. They knew rain would fail. They knew he would succeed. They knew dev1ce was washed. They knew he wasn’t. They always know, allegedly. Do not believe them, for they are charlatans.

There are undeniable positives to the 100 Thieves CS2 approach. Big names, drawing curious eyes. But the negatives cannot be ignored. Gambling on players whose best days are definitely behind them. Equally, gambling on players whose best days are ideally long in front of them. It’s high-risk, high-reward, but you can’t look past one thing: it’s going to be an exciting ride.

If it works, the folk at 100 Thieves will look like geniuses. If the project crashes and burns, they will look crazy. This is the burden of their ambition – in being bold, they are forced to straddle the line between genius and insanity, a fine tightrope that is all too easy to fall on either side of. Results will do the talking.