Ninjas in Pyjamas has racked up its first tournament win this year.
Although the team has remained steady, it took five months for NiP to chalk up another tournament win. This latest victory came after a semifinal invite to the recent WePlay! Dota 2 Tug of War: Radiant event.
NiP played in the western bracket along with Vega Squadron, OG, and Team Singularity. The TI8 champions at OG were knocked out by Team Singularity, who then faced NiP in the western bracket finals.
The best-of-five series was tied after four games of close action. NiP dominated the fifth and deciding game thanks to Adrian “Fata” Trinks’ multiple kill streaks on his Razor pick.
The grand final was a best-of-seven series pitting Ninjas in Pyjamas against eastern bracket champion Team Empire.
The first game saw an outstanding performance from Team Empire, who completely took over the mid-game. Empire’s net worth advantage grew to almost 40k gold in 45 minutes before the team sealed the opening game win.
NiP found its stride in the second game with Fata’s delivering another fine performance on Razor. With the help of Neta “33” Shapira’s Pangolier initiations and peeling, Fata and crew ended the game in 34 minutes.
The winning continued for NiP in the third and fourth games, with each victory more decisive than the last. It took only 15 minutes for NiP to finish game four, having already accrued nearly a 15k net worth advantage.
Team Empire bounced back briefly in game five. Igor Andreevich “Maden” Modenov looked dominant with his Ursa plays and a 17/3/9 final stat line.
But NiP retook command of the series in the sixth game with the help of a strong Batrider support performance from Martin “Saksa” Sazdov. Fata and 33’s exceptional carry play sealed the deal and delivered the title to NiP.
The team has shown great potential in the current Dota Pro Circuit season’s tournaments and in other small events. NiP boasted a fourth-place finish in The Kuala Lumpur Major in late 2018.
NiP recently made an impressive run in taking the first spot in the European qualifier for the third major of the current season, ensuring the team’s participation in the upcoming DreamLeague Season 11 major.
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