NiP outlast Astralis to stay alive in DreamHack Masters Spring - Europe

Ninjas in Pyjamas came out on top in a three-map series against Astralis, moving on to the second round of DreamHack Masters Spring - Europe lower-bracket playoff matches, where they will face Vitality.

Ninjas in Pyjamas recently lost their BLAST Premier Spring Showdown semi-final against Vitality and were relegated to a third-place decider against MAD Lions, which they will play next week for a spot in the BLAST Premier Spring Finals. By beating Astralis in a double-overtime decider map in the DreamHack Masters Spring lower bracket, the Swedes will now have a chance to take revenge on the French squad in the second round of the tournament's lower bracket matches.

Three USP kills by Jakob "⁠JUGi⁠" Hansen settled the first pistol round on Train in favor of Astralis, who were able to defuse the bomb on the B site. Ninjas in Pyjamas were able to swing it back in the anti-eco, turning the early stages of their map pick in their favor taking a 3-1 lead. The match evened out at 4-4 as both teams fought to take control of the economic game, but back-and-forth play ended in the Swedes getting ahead by a slim 8-7 margin.

Five USP headshot put an end to Astralis’ hopes in their first round on the attacking side as Ninjas in Pyjamas started to gain momentum going up 5-0 as Nicolas "⁠Plopski⁠" Gonzalez Zamora and Fredrik "⁠REZ⁠" Sterner won a 2vs2 afterplant against Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz and Peter "⁠dupreeh⁠" Rasmussen to reach a 13-7 lead. Ninjas in Pyjamas then reached match point uncontested, and although Astralis did get in a five-round streak at the end, were unable to stop the Ninjas from taking the first map 16-12.

Astralis opened up Nuke with a fast play towards the B site, which they were able to win without issues. The Danes quickly took charge on their map pick going on a seven-round streak as Ninjas in Pyjamas fumbled to find solutions to quell the Terrorist’s attacks. Doubles by Simon "⁠twist⁠" Eliasson and Tim "⁠nawwk⁠" Jonasson in the eighth round did just that as both teams then traded rounds, but Astralis kept going to reach the half with a comfortable 11-4 lead.

Ninjas in Pyjamas shortened the distances on the scoreboard tallying four rounds straight off the bat on the attacking side, although Astralis stabilized winning two gun rounds to inch closer and closer to map point. Having gained control of the half, the Danes then sailed to a 16-8 map win to push the series to the deciding map.

Ninjas in Pyjamas took the early lead on Overpass after winning the CT-side pistol round, and although they gave up the first gun round, doubles by Hampus "⁠hampus⁠" Poser and twist kept the Swedish squad ahead early on. Another big round by hampus, with three kills, followed, as Ninjas in Pyjamas kept widening the gap to 5-1. Despite the slow start, Emil "⁠Magisk⁠" Reif and company were able to find their groove later on in the half to bring it back to 7-8.

Astralis tied it up with a successful 2vs2 retake on the A site in the second pistol round before taking the lead for the first time on Overpass against the forcebuy, and although they managed to stay ahead early on, Ninjas in Pyjamas kept it close when buys started to become available, bringing it back to 10-11, but then lost to a forcebuy that put them back against the wall. Astralis hit match point, and dupreeh then got a triple the following round, but a clutch by twist kept the ninjas alive. Another clutch by twist helped Ninjas in Pyjamas further bridge the gap as they closed a five-round streak to push the map into overtime.

Astralis took the lead back in the first round of OT, but were equalized the following. Ninjas in Pyjamas then started their stint on the CT side with a one-round lead. Astralis tied it back up, 17-17, before hitting match point once again, but were unable to close the map out as it headed to a second overtime. Starting on the defending side Ninjas in Pyjamas took a clean 3-0 lead before closing the map and match out, 22-18.