NIP through to IEM Rio undefeated; Eternal Fire eliminate Aurora

The Ninjas qualified for the Major with a 3-0 record after taking out Cloud9 on the thirtieth round of Vertigo, the series’ decider map.

Ninjas in Pyjamas, under the leadership of Aleksi "⁠Aleksib⁠" Virolainen, joined FaZe in qualifying for the IEM Rio Major with a 3-0 record from the European RMR's Group A. They did so with a 2-1 victory in a long winded series against Cloud9, while at the same time Eternal Fire made sure their RMR run wasn’t cut short by beating Aurora in three maps, condemning the CIS squad to elimination.

Cloud9 struck first on the attacking side of their map pick, Mirage, but Ninjas in Pyjamas were quick to hit back in the second round forcebuy not only to even things out, but swing momentum early on as the Nordic squad won six in a row uncontested. Hampus "⁠hampus⁠" Poser was the difference maker for his team, ending the half with 21 kills, although Cloud9 eventually brought it to a close 6-9 at the half. The Russian squad’s second pistol round win was once again countered by Ninjas in Pyjamas, who went on to command the pace on the attack to steal the map 16-9.

Ninjas in Pyjamas made it three for three in second round forcebuy wins to nullify Cloud9’s T-side pistol win on Inferno, but the Russians bounced right back on the third, not letting momentum slip away early on. The two sat at a stalemate by ten rounds and stayed as close all the way to the end of the half, the Russians edging it in the last round. Ninjas in Pyjamas then won their first pistol round, but Cloud9 gave the Nordic team some of their own medicine by taking the ensuing forcebuy. A 1vs2 clutch by Vladislav "⁠nafany⁠" Gorshkov at 12-9 kept his team poised to force a third map as they went on to close Inferno out 16-11.

The two teams hopped onto Vertigo to decide who was going to join FaZe in securing a spot at the IEM Rio Major, and it was Cloud9 who charged ahead, pounding Ninjas in Pyjamas’s defenses over and over to a 9-1 lead by the tenth round. Aleksib and company briefly bounced back, winning four of the final five to keep hope alive before the switch. Ninjas in Pyjamas brought it within one after the switch, 10-11, before Cloud9 pulled ahead linking three to reach 14, but Aleksib and company kicked it into gear late in the series to win six in a row to end 16-14, clinching a spot at the Major.

Eternal Fire came out guns blazing on Vertigo, their pick, dominating the T side as Aurora struggled to keep their defenses sound, winning only two rounds out of the first 12 before securing the last three of the half to bring the score to 5-10. The Turks hit 11 after the second pistol round, but Aurora won the forcebuy to work on shortening the gap. It was a futile attempt in the end, as Eternal Fire dominated to close the map out 16-9.

The two teams got off to a brawl on Mirage, neither able to take control in the early stages of the map. although Ismailcan "⁠XANTARES⁠" Dörtkardeş put in work for Eternal Fire with 21 kills as the Turks took a 9-6 lead at the half. The brawl continued in the second half as Aurora brought it within one, 11-12, but that’s when Engin "⁠MAJ3R⁠" Küpeli and company turned it up a notch to hit match point. The CIS team didn’t let up, however, and powered their way back to a tie by the thirtieth to force extra rounds, which they then dominated by winning four in a row to force a third map.

Özgür "⁠woxic⁠" Eker and company got themselves in a very good position on Nuke, the decider, resetting after the Mirage overtime loss. The Turks won five rounds out of the gate and five more throughout the first half to hit double digits before moving to the CT side. With the wind in their sails, Eternal Fire secured survival at the RMR, 16-8, knocking the young CIS squad out of the running in Malta.