NiP defeat Vitality; Heroic overcome Sprout for ESL Pro League S10 Finals spot

Ninjas in Pyjamas claimed a one-sided victory over Vitality, 2-0 (16-6 Overpass, 16-7 Dust2), which was followed up with HEROIC edging out Sprout 2-1 (4-16 Dust2, 16-8 Inferno, 16-14 Overpass) and grabbing a spot at the LAN Finals.

Ninjas in Pyjamas started strong on the T side of Overpass against Vitality, bouncing back from a pistol round loss to take a 5-1 lead. Only then the French side mustered their second, but the half ended up being a one-sided affair for the Swedish side, who finished 12-3 up. After the switch, Richard "⁠shox⁠" Papillon and co. grabbed another pistol and this time converted the 3-0, but with Fredrik "⁠REZ⁠" Sterner having an impressive, 2.09-rated game, Ninjas in Pyjamas claimed their map pick 16-6.

The young Swede continued his strong play on Dust2 as well, with Ninjas in Pyjamas grabbing an early lead once again, 9-1 as CT. Vitality mustered a comeback at the end of the half, winning four out of five rounds and the pistol after the switch, bringing it back to 10-7. However, despite shox's best efforts, Ninjas in Pyjamas calmly ended the map, 16-7, taking the series victory 2-0.

The second match of the day saw Sprout take on HEROIC, with a win earning them a place at the Finals, while losing would mean a last-place finish. The action kicked off on Dust2, Sprout's map pick, with the Germans showing their efficiency on the map right from the start. Nils "⁠k1to⁠" Gruhne and Florian "⁠syrsoN⁠" Rische were at the helm of a strong, 11-4 T side, with the map concluded swiftly, 16-4, after they swapped to the defense.

Inferno followed, and it seemed Sprout was going to carry over the momentum from the first map, starting 4-1 on the Terrorist side. However, Marco "⁠Snappi⁠" Pfeiffer and co. consolidated their ranks and brought the score back, finishing the half with a strong 10-5 lead. Following the switch, the Danes extended their lead with a 3-0 start, eventually claiming the map 16-8.

A force-buy win for HEROIC got them off to a good start on the offensive side of Overpass, which coupled with an edge in the economy saw the Danes take a 5-1 lead. A triple from k1to started Sprout's comeback, while syrsoN's opening kills gave a helping hand in the Germans bringing the score back to 8-7. Despite claiming the pistol, HEROIC struggled early into the second half, with Timo "⁠Spiidi⁠" Richter's calling as well as individual play shined. (12-9) After failing to convert a 1v4 against Denis "⁠denis⁠" Howell, HEROIC finally got their third as CT with an A retake and started closing the gap. In a crucial round, at 13-14, Martin "⁠stavn⁠" Lund pulled of a 1v3 clutch, and dragged his team over the finish line, to a 16-14 victory.

With all of the matches in group B now played out, HEROIC have claimed the first spot in the group, going straight to the LAN Finals on home soil, in Odense. Sprout is headed towards relegation, while Ninjas in Pyjamas and Vitality will have another chance to make Finals in the second group stage.