Copenhagen Flames upset NIP to qualify for Antwerp, Endpoint eliminate Sprout

The Swedes could not continue their promising start with Brollan, falling after a poor performance on Overpass.

Copenhagen Flames stole an upset win over Ninjas in Pyjamas in convincing fashion to qualify for the Major with a 3-0 record, squeaking a tight Vertigo 19-17 before a confident victory on Overpass, 16-10.

The Ninjas struggled individually throughout the series, with Ludvig "⁠Brollan⁠" Brolin the only person to post above a 1.00 rating, whereas Copenhagen Flames had Nico "⁠nicoodoz⁠" Tamjidi and Jakob "⁠jabbi⁠" Nygaard to thank for monstrous carry performances on Vertigo and Overpass respectively.

The series opened with Copenhagen Flames' pick of Vertigo, and they kicked the map off with a strong start. The Danish side picked up the pistol and converted, building a solid T side off the back of a varied and deep playbook, getting out to a 6-3 lead before Ninjas really got a foothold in the game.

Once they did, the Swedes recovered, moving to a generally more passive defensive approach, getting themselves to an 8-7 half which was a decent return after a shaky start.

Ninjas in Pyjamas looked like they would take the map comfortably after winning the second half pistol and riding that to a 14-10 lead, but nicoodoz had other ideas; a couple of monstrous ramp holds broke the Swedes and got Flames back into the game.

Copenhagen Flames surrendered that momentum off the back of a heartbreaking throw in a 2v1 situation, with Hampus "⁠hampus⁠" Poser clinching a clutch on seven HP to help the Ninjas eventually get to overtime.

Ninjas in Pyjamas seemed to have run out of steam by the time OT came around, winning a single round in each half as Copenhagen Flames confidently closed out the game 19-17.

Overpass was the pick of Ninjas in Pyjamas, but they started poorly on the T side; after winning the pistol and converting the Swedes won a single round on the rest of their offense, falling to a 4-11 half with the young Dane jabbi tormenting them throughout.

A lost pistol left Ninjas in Pyjamas facing a monumental battle to even put up much of a fight in this map, and losing a 5v2 in the first gun round did little to help matters; Flames eventually closed the map out 16-10, however Brollan did perform some heroics for Ninjas in Pyjamas to at least make the map more competitive.

Over on the B stream Endpoint took on Sprout in the elimination match, with the former taking a 2-1 victory in what was a tightly contested series.

Endpoint took their pick of Dust2 in a close overtime battle, needing a monumental performance from AWPer Joey "⁠CRUC1AL⁠" Steusel to help get them over the line; they would have kicked themselves had they lost the map, having sported a 13-9 lead early in the second half.

On their own pick of Vertigo, Sprout had a convincing performance, storming to a 16-7 victory in large part due to a near-irresistible offence. Victor "⁠Staehr⁠" Staehr, returning to the squad after being absent through illness for most of the RMR, posted the pick of the performances, with 31 frags and 119 ADR earning him a 1.97 rating.

The decider of Ancient was another incredibly close affair, ultimately falling in favour of Endpoint 16-14; it was the tale of the two CT sides, with the teams both posting big halves on their defense. In the end it was several key clutches towards the end of the game that earned Endpoint the victory, keeping them in the hunt for a spot at the Major in Antwerp.