9INE Sign flayy to Replace shield: Polish AWPer Joins Ahead of Stake Ranked Qualifier

European esports organization 9INE have officially announced the signing of Polish AWPer Alan “flayy” Krupa, replacing Roberts “shield” Tipsis on the team’s active roster.

The move marks the latest change for the Counter-Strike 2 squad as 9INE continue adjusting their lineup in search of more consistent results in the competitive European scene.

flayy is expected to debut for the team during the Stake Ranked Episode 1 Closed Qualifier, where the new roster will play its first official matches together.

flayy joins after strong performances in tier-two Counter-Strike

The 20-year-old sniper arrives at 9INE following strong performances across several teams in the European tier-two scene, including stints with:

Anonymo Esports

Rebels Gaming

KOLESIE

Venom

Across the last 12 months, flayy maintained an average 1.14 rating, highlighting his impact as a developing AWPer in the European ecosystem.

His performances also earned him recognition as one of the emerging talents in Counter-Strike, frequently appearing in discussions about promising players in the regional scene.

Earlier this year, flayy became available after Venom decided to disband its Counter-Strike roster, opening the door for negotiations with other organizations.

shield moved to inactive roster after short tenure

The arrival of flayy means shield has been moved to the inactive lineup after a relatively brief period with the team.

The Latvian AWPer joined 9INE earlier in the year following the departure of Swedish sniper Love “phzy” Smidebrant.

During his time on the roster, shield recorded a 1.03 HLTV rating and helped the team reach several notable results, including:

2nd place at Fragadelphia Miami

Participation in the BLAST Bounty event

Top-4 finish in the IEM Rio closed qualifier

In an official statement, the organization thanked shield for his contribution:

“We appreciate all his hard work and professionalism while on the active roster and wish him all the best going forward.”

9INE aim to rebuild momentum in CS2 rankings

The roster change comes as 9INE attempt to regain stability and climb back up the international rankings.

Over the past months, the organization has experimented with multiple roster adjustments as it searches for the optimal balance between experienced players and emerging talent.

With the signing of flayy, the team now features a mixed European lineup supported by Danish coach Danny “BERRY” Krüger.

Current 9INE CS2 roster

The updated 9INE lineup now consists of:

Rasmus “raalz” Steensborg

Tobias “kraghen” Jensen

Jan “cej0t” Dyl

Bartosz “bnox” Niebisz

Alan “flayy” Krupa

Coach: Danny “BERRY” Krüger
Inactive: Roberts “shield” Tipsis

What flayy’s signing means for 9INE

The signing of flayy represents a long-term investment in young talent for 9INE as the organization looks to strengthen its competitive identity in Counter-Strike 2.

For the Polish AWPer, the move also marks a major career milestone — joining an international roster and stepping onto a larger stage in the European CS2 ecosystem.

The team’s next matches in the Stake Ranked Episode 1 Closed Qualifier will offer the first glimpse of how the new lineup performs together.