NIP beat G2 to secure playoffs in Big Event debut

G2's campaign with TaZ standing in for huNter- ends with a group stage exit.

Ninjas in Pyjamas have secured a spot in the PGL Astana playoffs after winning a round five match against G2 in the Swiss group stage.

The Marco "⁠Snappi⁠" Pfeiffer-led side won the do-or-die series in two maps to ensure their first Big Event playoffs appearance in the tier-one debut with the new lineup after beating Virtus.pro and HOTU earlier in the tournament.

After a slow start to the new core, their climb up the ranks continues, with Ninjas in Pyjamas now sitting in a preliminary 24th place on the Global Valve Standings thanks to the G2 victory and securing a minimum $62,500 payout from PGL Astana.

G2 out in groups in huNter-less campaign

Throughout their run G2's lack of firepower without Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač was laid bare, and it was up to Mario "⁠malbsMd⁠" Samayoa and Nikita "⁠HeavyGod⁠" Martynenko to pick up the slack.

But after a streak of great performances the Guatemalan ran out of steam and HeavyGod was the only one to turn up in a disastrous T half on Dust2, where Ninjas in Pyjamas found all the right flanks and had Michel "⁠ewjerkz⁠" Pinto and Rafael "⁠arrozdoce⁠" Wing activate after a shaky group stage.

G2's issues converting pistol round wins into early leads continued on Nuke and meant they were always on the back foot from the start of their CT side, where they only got five rounds in the end despite malbsMd waking up again.

Janusz "⁠Snax⁠" Pogorzelski's amusing knife play in the second pistol gave his team a chance to turn it around, but Ninjas in Pyjamas put together a solid defense spearheaded by Artem "⁠r1nkle⁠" Moroz, who ended it all with a superb combat-AWPing quad-kill on the upper bombsite.