Heroic beat NiP to qualify for IEM Beijing-Haidian playoffs

The No.2-ranked team were made to work hard to move past a stubborn Ninjas in Pyjamas side that almost caused another upset.

HEROIC came from behind to beat Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-1 and secure the first spot in the IEM Beijing-Haidian Europe playoffs from Group B. There were some individual performances to admire – especially Tim "⁠nawwk⁠" Jonasson, Martin "⁠stavn⁠" Lund and Nikolaj "⁠niko⁠" Kristensen (on Vertigo only) - but the round that has got everyone talking was Johannes "⁠b0RUP⁠" Borup's 1v3 clutch to put HEROIC on series point just when Ninjas in Pyjamas were about to equalise the score.

Fresh off a convincing victory over G2, the Ninjas looked great for the majority of the series and showed their fighting spirit with two great comeback attempts on Vertigo before that late blunder cost them the game and the series. They will fight for their tournament life on Monday against the winner of the elimination match between BIG and ENCE.

Ninjas in Pyjamas recovered from a sluggish start on Mirage to gain control of proceedings after constantly catching stavn off-guard on the B site, taking the lead for the first time since the pistol round with a stunning 1v3 clutch from nawwk. Things were threatening to spiral out of control for HEROIC, but the Danes pulled two back towards the end of the half to reduce the deficit to a solitary round.

Ninjas in Pyjamas did not let that late response get to them as they began the second half brightly, by stringing six rounds together with some lethal proactive pushes across the map. But as soon as HEROIC responded - with back-to-back triple kills by stavn - the momentum shifted to the Danes. Casper "⁠cadiaN⁠" Møller's troops took control of proceedings, but they were unable to land the knockout blow as the Ninjas quickly put two rounds together just when a massive comeback seemed to be on the cards.

Train began in the same manner as Mirage - with the Ninjas taking an early lead before being caught off-guard by their opponents' force buy. That round kickstarted a spell of dominance by HEROIC, who went on a 7-1 run, but Ninjas in Pyjamas then grew as the game entered a scrappy phase to make it a 5-10 half. Ninjas in Pyjamas picked up a flawless pistol round after switching to the T side, but their comeback hopes were immediately crushed: HEROIC once again hit back in the second round and then went on a short run to bring the game to a swift conclusion.

HEROIC came out on Vertigo with all guns blazing as they stormed to an 8-1 lead on the CT side. Ninjas in Pyjamas looked lost and confused, their timeouts ineffective to stop the onslaught, but a late resurgence saw them win six rounds in a row to keep the scoreline competitive before the side switch. An enthralling second half followed as neither team seemed able to string more than a few rounds together. Down 14-10, Ninjas in Pyjamas dug deep and pinned HEROIC's players against the ropes before b0RUP was able to turn saviour for his team with a stunning 1v3 clutch that broke the Ninjas' spirits.