The MongolZ beat NIP to win YaLLa Compass 2024

It's the second international title in a row for the Mongolian side, who will be gunning for a three-peat in Jönköping next week.

The MongolZ were crowned champions of YaLLa Compass 2024 with a 2-1 victory over Ninjas in Pyjamas on Sunday, winning their second international tournament in a row after hoisting the MESA Nomadic Masters Spring trophy at the start of the month.

The Mongolians capped off an impressive run in Abu Dhabi with another dominant showing against the tournament's surprise package, who started the match brightly but faltered as it went on.

The 2-1 scoreline doesn't quite capture how much better The MongolZ were in this final, which could have easily been a 2-0 series had Garidmagnai "⁠bLitz⁠" Byambasuren's troops not wasted a map point on Ancient after coming back from a 3-9 deficit.

Date	Matches
YaLLa Compass 2024
05/06/2024	Sashi Finished 14:16 The MongolZ	Match
05/06/2024	The MongolZ Finished 13:7 ENCE	Match
06/06/2024	The MongolZ Finished 13:9 HEROIC	Match
06/06/2024	Ninjas in Pyjamas Finished 6:13 The MongolZ	Match
06/06/2024	Astralis Finished 13:8 The MongolZ	Match
08/06/2024	The MongolZ Finished 2:1 Astralis	Match
09/06/2024	The MongolZ Finished 2:1 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match

The remaining two maps were fairly one-sided as The MongolZ ran all over their opponents, with Artem "⁠r1nkle⁠" Moroz — a tournament MVP candidate heading into the match — looking largely ineffective on the decider. Still, it shouldn't take away from how good Ninjas in Pyjamas were in their LAN debut. They're looking like legit title challengers for next week's FiReLEAGUE 2024 Global Finals in Argentina.

As for The MongolZ, this title-winning campaign further solidifies the narrative that they are one of the most in-form teams in the scene at the moment. They will be looking to make it three in a row next week at ESL Challenger Jönköping, though it is clear that they have bigger goals in sight.

"We will do our best and go forward," Sodbayar "⁠Techno⁠" Munkhbold said after the match. "The goal of course is the Major."

Ninjas in Pyjamas came out with real purpose and romped to a 4-1 lead on the T side of Ancient, with r1nkle boasting a 186 ADR, a 3-0 opening duel record, and 11 frags during that period. Fredrik "⁠REZ⁠" Sterner then took over, ending the half with a 16-5 K-D to inspire NIP to an impressive 9-3 lead.

But the 2017 IEM Oakland MVP went missing for swathes of the second half, giving The MongolZ a way back into the game. With an incredible performance from bLitz, the Asian giants chipped away at the deficit, but they could not deal the finishing blow as Ninjas in Pyjamas forced overtime with a last-gasp effort before securing the win with a flawless 4-0 overtime run.

Playing their first Mirage game on LAN since adding Isak "⁠isak⁠" Fahlén, Ninjas in Pyjamas' players showed some rustiness during the early stages of the game as The MongolZ cruised to a 6-0 lead. NIP then tightened their defense and brought the deficit down to four rounds before half-time to keep their comeback hopes alive.

The MongolZ added to their lead with a smooth pistol round, only to gift their opponents a way back into the game with a failed conversion. Ninjas in Pyjamas rode that momentum to a 7-9 score before The MongolZ picked themselves up and won four in a row to secure the map.

Nuke began with Ninjas in Pyjamas taking an early lead on the CT side, but they ceded control of the game once their opponents had money to work with. bLitz then saved the day for his team with a 1v3 clutch that prevented a hard reset and kept The MongolZ with a firm grip on the game.

Just as things were starting to look bleak for NIP, Max "⁠maxster⁠" Jansson rescued his team with a trio of Five-Seven kills in an eco round that proved a lifeline for the Swedish side, which reduced the deficit to 5-7.

But the Ninjas' comeback hopes would soon be crushed. A 1v2 clutch by isak was all that NIP could muster in the second half was The MongolZ kept a near-impenetrable defense to put the game to bed and lift the trophy.