The North American esports organization 100 Thieves has officially announced the signing of a contract with Norwegian professional esports player Håvard “rain” Nygaard. The legendary transfer marks the organization’s return to Counter-Strike 2 after a long hiatus, and the former FaZe Clan player has completed his nine-year collaboration with the European team.
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The official announcement of Rain’s accession
In a video announcement posted on the social network X (formerly known as Twitter), 100 Thieves showed a creative approach to the presentation of a new gamer. The video shows a floating crown slowly descending on Rain’s head, accompanied by the slogan “HIS REIGN IS HERE,” where the word “reign” is crossed out and replaced with “RAIN IS HERE,” a play on words with the process of the great transition.
After the publication, everyone in the CS2 community was very enthusiastic. Ninjas in Pyjamas posted a screenshot with the caption The King is back, respecting an experienced shooter. And Jack Courage Dunlop from 100 Thieves wrote on X that he couldn’t wait to see him at international Counter-Strike tournaments. He’s just wondering how he’s going to show himself.
Rain’s past achievements as a member of the FaZe Clan
Rain is leaving the FaZe Clan after one of the longest periods of cooperation with the only organization in the history of professional esports. The Norwegian professional joined the European clan for almost a decade, winning numerous prestigious trophies both in the era of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and after the discipline’s transition to the new CS2 engine.
Everything changed for Rain in 2015, when he joined Team Kinguin. They brought together cool players from different countries, abandoning the idea of making a team only from locals. Under the wing of Kinguin, Rain helped the team reach the quarterfinals of ESL One Cologne 2015, and then they were all signed by G2 Esports. With G2, he was in the quarterfinals of a major tournament again, this time at the 2015 DreamHack Open in Cluj-Napoca. Since then, he has become very popular, and the fans still know him.
Among the recent tournament successes of the Counter-Strike esports veteran, the first places at Champions of Asia 2023, Thunderpick World Championship 2023 and ESL Pro League Season 17 stand out. Especially significant was the victory in the Intel Grand Slam worth a million dollars in March 2023, a series of tournaments that require exceptional stability and skill. The highlight of his career at FaZe was winning the major at PGL Major Antwerp 2022, the most prestigious event on the professional CS tournament calendar.
During 2025, the FaZe Clan showed talent for controversial results in an esports competition. The team took the top four places in competitions such as PGL Bucharest 2025 and ESL Pro League Season 22, demonstrating a high level of team strategy. Meanwhile, the performances at other events turned out to be less impressive — 9th-16th places at the Esports World Cup and the early departure from several BLAST Premier qualifying stages caused the composition to be revised.
The signing value for the project is 100 Thieves
Despite the fact that 100 Thieves has not yet revealed the full composition of the CS2 team, Rain’s professional esports career, spanning over ten years of competitive experience at the Tier-1 level, makes it a privilege to acquire for a new project. An experienced player brings not only individual skills, but also an invaluable understanding of the tactical nuances of the game at the highest levels of professional competition.
Rains position and role in 100 Thieves tactics
Throughout his professional career, Harvard Rain Nygaard has shown himself to be a versatile player who can adapt to different tactics. In FaZe Clan, he most often played the role of entry-frager and loot, going on the attack first. His ability to understand what the enemy is up to and make quick decisions is very important on the maps of Mirage and Inferno, where you need to attack and control the territory. When the team is preparing for CS2 tournaments, Rain can give advice to young players, tell them how best to take positions, calculate time and coordinate actions. With his experience of major matches and various prestigious tournaments, he will help 100 Thieves get used to playing at a high level faster and establish teamwork on different maps.
The Return of 100 Thieves to the Counter-Strike 2 Scene
The 100 Thieves organization was previously present in the Counter-Strike ecosystem during the heyday of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, twice forming competitive teams. In 2020, the North American club decided to leave the discipline, citing the uncertainty of the competitive environment and the lack of a stable franchise model in professional CS2 esports.
The current return, backed by a new management team and the signing of such a qualified leader as Rain, symbolizes the serious ambitions of the organization in Counter-Strike 2. The management of 100 Thieves has not yet disclosed details regarding the debut tournament performance and the timing of the announcement of the remaining members of the squad. The organization’s plans for the upcoming competitive season remain under wraps, which only fuels the community’s interest in future announcements.
The new leadership of the CS2 division
The signing of the professional contract with Rain took place the day after the appointment of new persons and figures in the management. 100 Thieves has announced Sean “Sgares” Gares as the head of FPS Disciplines, and Graham “messioso” Pitt as the head of operations for Counter-Strike 2. Both specialists are great at handling tasks in esports and understand how the game system works from the inside. A project from scratch is not inferior to competitors.
Sgares analyzes games very well and has coached pro teams, while Pitt is an experienced organizer who has worked in various esports structures. Together they will be able to prepare the team for tournaments in a great way, look for new talents and plan a strategy for the future.Partnership with Roobet and European presence
The CS2 team change for Rain coincides with the strategic partnership between 100 Thieves and Roobet, a multi—year agreement that expands the geographical presence of the American esports organization on the European continent. The team will perform under the brand 100 Thieves Roobet, which opens up additional opportunities to attract European talent and participate in regional qualifications.
This move demonstrates the organization’s commitment to compete not only in the North American territory, but also in the CS2 world tournaments, which are traditionally dominated by European and Brazilian teams. Our presence in Europe will facilitate the logistics of participating in the best BLAST Premier, ESL Pro League and other key events on the competitive calendar.
Prospects and future performances
Joining a team of this level is a strong turnaround for both Rain and 100 Thieves. Rain has above-average talent and will be able to show the skill that he is still in business, even after so many years in one place. He will be able to apply his experience in the new team.
For 100 Thieves, the signing of Rain is an important start for the formation of a tactical team. All Counter-Strike fans are waiting for the rest of the players, the coach, and when the team will play in the tournament for the first time.
100 Thieves is clearly determined to gain a serious foothold in Counter-Strike 2. They invest in experienced people, collaborate with other companies, and hire a proven player. We’ll see what happens soon, when the team gets together and starts playing tournaments.
It’s official: 100 Thieves announced the signing of Rain on November 13, 2025. He used to play for the FaZe Clan for almost 10 years and won major tournaments many times, including the Major Championship. It is not yet known who else will join the 100 Thieves team along with Rain. During his years in the FaZe Clan, he won a bunch of everything, including the PGL Major, Intel Grand Slam, and was often on the list of the best players of the year according to HLTV, the main Counter-Strike website.
