“phzy Returns to 9INE on Loan from Wildcard”

“phzy Returns to 9INE on Loan from Wildcard”

Stockholm-based, August 2025 — Swedish AWPer Love "phzy" Smidebrant has rejoined 9INE on a loan agreement from Wildcard through the end of the season. This marks a homecoming for phzy, who started his professional career with 9INE before moving through teams like Young Ninjas, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Sangal, Rare Atom, and most recently Wildcard.

With the loan move, phzy assumes AWP duties, stepping into the role vacated by Mateusz "mantuu" Wilczewski, who was released due to a broken arm sustained in June.

On the move, phzy shared:

"Happy to have joined 9INE again, one of my first organizations when I started playing. It feels good to be back around great people and great teammates. Excited to be back on the server this soon. Let's get to work." 

Background & Career Context

Earlier in July 2025, Wildcard made the surprising decision to bench both phzy and team captain Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz. At the time, phzy expressed understanding of the move despite his personal disappointment, saying:

"Came as a bit of a surprise getting benched, obviously not what I wanted but I respect the organization’s decision." 

His benching came during a rollercoaster period for Wildcard. After a strong run at the Perfect World Shanghai Major Opening Stage, the team struggled with early exits and inconsistent performances—including lineup reshuffles and visa challenges—despite phzy remaining one of the most reliable performers with a 1.14 rating across many matches.

Immediate Return and Next Matches

phzy has already taken part in 9INE's early outings since his return, including as a stand-in at the RES Showdown 2 Nordics Open Qualifier and in CCT Season 3 Europe Series 4. Up next, 9INE is scheduled to face Tricked in the CCT tournament on August 1, 2025