Outsiders defeat NIP to eliminate them from IEM Katowice

The Russian squad had Evgenii "⁠FL1T⁠" Lebedev to thank for dragging them to victory.

Outsiders recovered from a poor opening map to defeat Ninjas in Pyjamas 2-1, sending the Nordic side home early from IEM Katowice. Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali's squad were poor in a 5-16 defeat on Vertigo, but grew into the series as it continued and got the job done 16-12 on Overpass and 16-9 on Inferno.

Outsiders came into this tournament ready to debut a new signing in Aleksandr "⁠KaiR0N-⁠" Anashkin, but everything nearly went pear-shaped for the Russian squad after a woeful start against Ninjas in Pyjamas. Fortunately FL1T was on hand to step up and carry them through the final two maps. Eyebrows were raised when Outsiders changed a Major-winning lineup in the off-season, and there is work to be done if they are to fully justify the changes.

Ninjas in Pyjamas did reasonably well considering they arrived in Poland with a brand-new signing of their own, Kristian "⁠k0nfig⁠" Wienecke. The Dane has yet to produce the individual level he is capable of, to quote the man himself he has "no clue what the fuck's going on," but regardless Ninjas mustered a solid display with little preparation time. Their other new man, Daniil "⁠headtr1ck⁠" Valitov, continued his promising start to life with the Ninjas, topping the scoreboards across the series.

Vertigo, the pick of Ninjas in Pyjamas, began this match, and it was an entirely one-sided affair. Outsiders were utterly toothless on their CT half, finding themselves completely unable to hold either ramp or the B site effectively and consistently losing the opening duel. The entire Ninjas squad produced impactful individual moments, the highlight being two aces from Fredrik "⁠REZ⁠" Sterner, and they capitalised on these to quickly dispatch Outsiders 16-5.

Outsiders were infinitely more comfortable on their own map choice, Overpass, starting on the T side and powering out to a 7-3 lead despite losing the pistol. Not only were the Russian squad excellent at manipulating rotations and moving between the sites, but they were also far more effective in opening duels when compared to Vertigo. Ninjas in Pyjamas did manage to rack up a few more defensive rounds thanks to a double-AWP setup, limiting Outsiders to a 9-6 advantage at the half.

A 1v3 clutch from headtr1ck won the Ninjas their T pistol and they duly converted to a 9-9 score. A couple of chaotic moments ensued once Outsiders took their first gun round, a 4k from Aleksi "⁠Aleksib⁠" Virolainen breaking the Russian's economy in the following before a Jame clutch brought things back around. Outsiders took control of the half from this point, rarely allowing their opponents onto a bombsite as they marched to an eventual 16-12 victory.

On the decider of Inferno Ninjas in Pyjamas won their T pistol, only to walk into an A stack in the following round. This allowed Outsiders to get to a 3-1 score but once guns came up the Ninjas were slick and well-coordinated, regularly splitting the A bombsite to great success and getting impactful contributions from their stars, particularly headtr1ck. Ninjas in Pyjamas rode this momentum to an 8-4 scoreline only for FL1T to come alive with some important clutches, the rifler hauling Outsiders to a 7-8 half.

Outsiders took a T pistol of their own and converted it to reach 10-8, but a potent retake of the B site got Ninjas in Pyjamas's defence on the board. This was all the Ninjas could muster as they struggled to deal with Outsiders' boa constrictor-like style, and Jame and co. duly closed the map out 16-9.

OG await Outsiders in the next round of the lower bracket, with that game taking place on Tuesday at 12:30 .