Gizmy sets 100 Thieves’ targets: EWC qualification now, Singapore Major next

Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen has been in charge of 100 Thieves for barely more than a month, but the 22-year-old has already set a hard standard for his first LAN with the roster: getting through the Esports World Cup Open Qualifier is the minimum.

The British IGL spoke after 100 Thieves swept SadFamous and NADE to win Group 11 in Paris, reaching the 32-team playoff bracket without dropping a map. It was a clean start to an event that matters far more than the group opposition itself. Four teams will leave the open qualifier with places at the $2 million Esports World Cup, and 100 Thieves are trying to turn a promising but inconsistent first month under Gizmy into something tangible.

For Gizmy, there is little room to redefine success after the fact.

“I would only be happy with qualifying for EWC.”

That answer fits the wider picture around 100 Thieves. Gizmy was signed from Monte on July 1 and immediately took over the calling duties from Håvard “rain” Nygaard. He is now leading a lineup containing rain and Nicolai “device” Reedtz, with Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander behind the team as coach — a sharp change for a player who only made his Major debut with Monte at IEM Cologne earlier this summer.

Quick Context

Detail	Information
Player	Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen, 22
Team	100 Thieves — device, rain, Gizmy, sirah, poiii; gla1ve coaching
Role	In-game leader / rifler; took over the IGL role from rain in July
Interview type	Post-match tournament qualifier interview with a strong IGL/leadership angle
Event	Esports World Cup 2026 Open Qualifier, Paris, August 7–9
Result	2-0 vs SadFamous, then 2-0 vs NADE to win Group 11
Next opponent	Not yet published at the time of this update; HLTV currently lists no upcoming 100 Thieves match
Current ranking	No. 37 in HLTV’s world ranking; No. 39 in Valve’s ranking
Main storyline	Gizmy already has 100 Thieves playing his system; now the roster needs to turn that early progress into an EWC berth.

Why this interview matters

100 Thieves’ first month with Gizmy has produced enough evidence to make the project interesting, but not enough to call it stable.

They upset Falcons 2-1 at BLAST Bounty, recovering from a 3-9 deficit on the Anubis decider as Gizmy called an eight-round T-side streak. Days later, they pushed Spirit through three maps, losing Anubis 11-13 and taking Mirage 13-4 before being dismantled 0-13 on Dust2. Around those results were 1-2 losses to Ninjas in Pyjamas and Nuclear TigeRES in the StarLadder StarSeries qualifier.

That uneven record is why the EWC qualifier is useful evidence. The question is not whether a lineup containing device, rain, poiii and sirah can produce high-level rounds. It already has. The more important test is whether Gizmy can give those pieces enough structure to handle different styles consistently.

His explanation of the StarSeries losses was telling. Rather than blaming aim or individual form, he pointed to the work a new roster had not yet completed: repetitions on defaults, reactions to unconventional aggression and deeper CT-side preparation. He contrasted those matches with tier-one opposition, where 100 Thieves had already been able to lean more heavily on their individual quality and a smaller set of prepared ideas.

The distinction is important. Gizmy was not arguing that elite opponents are easier. His point was that unpredictable teams expose holes in a young system differently. Against those opponents, knowing exactly how to punish an unusual push or rotation has to become automatic.

100 Thieves are already playing Gizmy’s Counter-Strike

There is no lengthy transition period being advertised internally.

Gizmy said the T sides are largely derived from the structure he used with Monte, while he has also taken a significant role in shaping the CT setups because he occupies active positions himself. He credited gla1ve and zander with giving him the freedom to bring that framework into 100 Thieves instead of asking the new captain to fit himself into the previous system.

For a roster change of this type, that is arguably the most important detail in the interview. 100 Thieves did not simply replace one player and hand someone else the microphone. By moving the IGL duties away from rain and signing Gizmy, they effectively chose a new tactical starting point.

The early Falcons result provided the clearest example. With 100 Thieves 3-9 behind on Anubis, their new IGL oversaw eight consecutive T rounds to reach match point. rain later praised Gizmy’s calling after the series.

The next step is making that kind of control repeatable rather than episodic.

Leading device and rain has stopped being the story inside the server

There is an obvious generational contrast in 100 Thieves.

Gizmy entered 2026 still chasing his first Major appearance. He achieved it with Monte at IEM Cologne, reached Stage 3, then joined a roster where device and rain have spent years playing on Counter-Strike’s biggest stages and gla1ve is now his coach. HLTV records Cologne as Gizmy’s first Major appearance.

He admitted that the situation can still feel strange away from competition. His approach changes once a match begins, however. Gizmy described the veterans simply as teammates he has to lead properly: give them respect, expect the same in return, make the call and leave room for their input.

That is a more meaningful answer than pretending the experience stopped being surreal overnight. Gizmy can recognize who is sitting beside him without letting their résumés dictate the hierarchy when the round starts.

The EWC group stage was dominant — and Gizmy treated it accordingly

100 Thieves could hardly have handled the first two days in Paris more comfortably.

They opened against SadFamous with a 13-3 victory on Nuke and a 13-2 win on Dust2. Gizmy personally finished the two-map series at 52-9 with a 2.85 HLTV Rating 3.0, comfortably the highest figure in the match.

Against NADE in the Group 11 winners’ match, 100 Thieves followed with a 13-2 Mirage and 13-6 Dust2. device led the server with a 1.53 rating, while Gizmy posted 31-19 and a 1.22 rating.

No map in either series went beyond 19 rounds.

Yet Gizmy resisted treating those scorelines as evidence that the difficult work was finished. In the original interview, he acknowledged the lower level of the group opposition and framed those victories as results 100 Thieves were simply expected to secure.

That restraint matters. The group stage showed that 100 Thieves avoided the sort of upset that had hurt them in previous qualifiers. The playoff bracket will say much more about whether the improvements Gizmy discussed are holding up under pressure.

One map-pool detail is worth watching

Gizmy expressed broad confidence in 100 Thieves’ map pool, but their recent vetoes already show one consistent preference.

100 Thieves used their first removal on Cache against SadFamous, repeated it against NADE, and had also removed Cache first against Spirit at BLAST Bounty.

That is understandable context for a new roster. Cache only entered the Active Duty pool on July 8, replacing Overpass, meaning Gizmy joined 100 Thieves just before the competitive map pool itself changed.

It does not prove Cache is a weakness. Every seven-map pool needs a preferred ban. But if 100 Thieves have to survive multiple best-of-threes in one day, their willingness — or reluctance — to move away from that established veto pattern is something opponents can test.

The bigger target is the Singapore Major

EWC qualification is the immediate objective, but Gizmy was equally clear about what the season is ultimately being judged against.

“The general target is to make the Major.”

That goal gives every ranked LAN added importance. 100 Thieves currently sit No. 37 in HLTV’s world ranking and No. 39 in Valve’s ranking, and Gizmy acknowledged that their position leaves them outside the tier-one invite cycle for now.

PGL Major Singapore is the next Major on the calendar. HLTV currently lists December 3–13 for its final stage and November 2 as the relevant VRS date on the event page.

Gizmy therefore has two connected jobs. The first is building a team capable of beating good opposition. The second is creating enough opportunities to actually play that opposition. Getting into EWC would address both.

Interesting facts

• Gizmy is 22 and has played one Major, reaching Stage 3 of IEM Cologne Major 2026 with Monte.
• 100 Thieves signed him on July 1 after benching Ag1l, with Gizmy taking the IGL duties previously held by rain.
• Over his first 16 maps in his current 100 Thieves stint, HLTV lists Gizmy at a 1.05 Rating 3.0.
• His EWC qualifier began with a 2.85 rating against SadFamous before a 1.22 performance in the group-winning series against NADE.
• 100 Thieves’ first month under his leadership already includes a win over Falcons and a three-map loss to Spirit, alongside qualifier defeats to NIP and Nuclear TigeRES.

What comes next?

The easy part of 100 Thieves’ EWC qualifier is over.

The open qualifier sends 32 teams from the GSL groups into a single-elimination best-of-three bracket, with only the final four earning places in the main event. From the round of 32, that means 100 Thieves need three consecutive series wins — round of 32, round of 16 and quarter-final — to qualify.

The playoff opponent had not yet been published when this article was updated; HLTV’s current 100 Thieves page still showed no upcoming match, while the round-of-32 listings remained TBA. That also means there is no relevant next-opponent head-to-head to analyze yet.

Should 100 Thieves finish in the qualifier’s top four, the Esports World Cup main event begins August 12 in Paris and runs through August 23 with 32 teams.

For Gizmy, the standard is already on record. Winning the group earned 100 Thieves a place in the real qualifier. What matters now is whether the system he has spent the last month installing can survive a day in which one bad series ends the run.

FAQ

Who is Gizmy?

Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen is a 22-year-old British Counter-Strike 2 player and the current in-game leader of 100 Thieves. He previously played for Monte.

What role does Gizmy play for 100 Thieves?

Gizmy is the team’s IGL and a rifler. He took over the calling responsibilities from rain after joining on July 1, 2026.

What happened in 100 Thieves’ EWC qualifier group?

100 Thieves beat SadFamous 2-0 and NADE 2-0 to advance from Group 11 without dropping a map.

Who do 100 Thieves play next?

Their round-of-32 opponent had not yet been published at the time of this update.

What is 100 Thieves’ main target for the season?

Gizmy identified Major qualification as the broader objective. The next Major is PGL Major Singapore 2026.