k0nfig and headtr1ck combine to send NIP to the Legends Stage

Ninjas in Pyjamas’ two newest additions provided a carry performance each to push their team past Grayhound.

Ninjas in Pyjamas have sealed their spot in the Legends Stage with a 2-0 victory over Grayhound, the Nordic side taking a 16-11 victory on Mirage and a 16-12 victory on Inferno.

It was the latest additions to the Ninjas in Pyjamas lineup who stood tall to push their team to victory, with Daniil "⁠headtr1ck⁠" Valitov coming alive on the second half of Mirage and Kristian "⁠k0nfig⁠" Wienecke popping heads on the first half of Inferno.

headtr1ck spoke briefly about his time settling into the team further in the post-match interview:

"In the beginning it was hard to understand everything, to hear everyone from my team and understand the info that they are saying, but I think it’s natural and it comes with playtime and experience. Now I feel like I have way more confidence."

This new-found confidence showed for headtr1ck on Mirage, as he was vital in securing Ninjas in Pyjamas the victory. A tight first half went the way of the European side thanks to a late-half recovery, their third timeout finally helping to revamp their offense and earn them four on the bounce for a 8-7 half.

Grayhound started strong on their offense, but headtr1ck came alive with multi-kill after multi-kill to shut the Aussies down and win his team the map.

Over on Inferno it was k0nfig’s turn to steal the show, the Dane putting on a clinic with his play in pit and around lane to the tune of 17 kills, which clinched a 9-6 half.

Ninjas in Pyjamas looked to be strolling to victory as they took to the offensive half, but as the Ninjas got to 15 Simon "⁠Sico⁠" Williams started to assert his will in banana, grabbing his team a streak of rounds. Unfortunately for the Australians they were in too deep of a hole, and an aggressive push down middle went wrong and allowed Ninjas in Pyjamas to close out the series.

Ninjas in Pyjamas have had a turbulent start to the year, largely underwhelming with their performances and then having to deal with the sudden stepping down of Hampus "⁠hampus⁠" Poser. It has taken them some time to bed in k0nfig and get up to speed, but they arrived in Paris in the best form we have seen for some time, and wins over MOUZ, OG and now Grayhound have secured them a Legends Stage berth.

Grayhound have had an utterly bizarre Major, first coming back from 3-12 down to defeat FORZE in spectacular fashion, only to fall in an embarrassing 0-16 loss against Apeks. They got one over on their regional rivals The MongolZ to put themselves in position to qualify, but they were ultimately a level below Ninjas in Pyjamas in this series and were comfortably beaten. They have one more chance to qualify for the Legends Stage, as they take on Liquid tomorrow.

Date	Matches
BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Challengers Stage
11/05/2023	Grayhound 17:50 Liquid	Match