Jack "Gizmy" von Spreckelsen has made it clear: anything less than qualifying for the Esports World Cup would be disappointing. The British IGL, who recently joined 100 Thieves after being the sole remaining player from Monte's IEM Cologne Major roster, is setting ambitious targets for his new squad.
Speaking after his team advanced through the EWC open qualifier group stage with convincing 2-0 victories, Gizmy emphasized that reaching the Major remains the primary goal. "The general target is to make the Major, probably the same with most teams at our level and above, the tier-two region," he explained.
The transition to 100 Thieves has been smooth, despite the team's No. 39 VRS ranking limiting their tier-one tournament invites. Gizmy took over IGL responsibilities from Håvard "rain" Nygaard and has already shown promising results, including a competitive online series against Spirit in BLAST Bounty.
Implementing his proven system from Monte, Gizmy has received full support from his star-studded roster and coaching staff. "They're playing to my style, for sure," he confirmed, noting that gla1ve and zander were eager to adopt his approach from the start. The team has been focusing heavily on drilling defaults and CT setups to handle unpredictable tier-two opponents.
Working with legendary players still feels surreal at times. "Sometimes you're just sitting down, having fun with these guys, and then you reflect for a moment like, 'Holy shit, this is rain in front of me,'" Gizmy admitted. However, on the server, his focus remains purely professional.
Looking ahead, 100 Thieves has signed up for Stake Pulse 2 and may receive invites to other events as they build their schedule and ranking points toward Major qualification.
