Vitality take down NIP to get second win in EPL

Vitality defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas in a two-map series, winning 16-14 on Nuke after denying the Swedes a comeback from a 13-3 score and finishing the match on Vertigo, 16-8.

Vitality now sit at the top of the group alongside Natus Vincere, with both teams undefeated after the first two games. Mathieu “⁠ZywOo⁠” Herbaut continued his terrific form at the event, keeping his place as the top-rated player with a 1.47 rating in the series, with new addition Lotan “⁠Spinx⁠” Giladi not far behind the Frenchman.

Meanwhile, Ninjas in Pyjamas once again struggled on the T side of both maps, getting three rounds on Nuke and just one on Vertigo. Following yesterday’s lackluster showing in the 0-2 loss against fnatic, the Swedes now sit in a troublesome position at the bottom of the group, with tomorrow’s game against Spirit a chance to swing the momentum in their favor.

The series began on Nuke, a map Ninjas in Pyjamas are not known to pick regularly. They got off to a slow start on the offensive side, with a ZywOo 1vs3 clutch in the third round of the game setting the scene for the early exchanges. Vitality continued their domination, as they went 7-0 up before dropping their first. Hampus “⁠hampus⁠” Poser found a successful timing with an aggressive push into the lower site, killed two and delivered his team a bomb plant on a silver platter. Ninjas in Pyjamas weren’t able to build on that, however, as they found just two more rounds in the remainder of the half, going into the interval with a 3-12 deficit.

Vitality‘s flawless pistol round gave them a ten-round lead, with the map completely in their control. Ludvig “⁠Brollan⁠” Brolin showed up when his team needed him most, however, getting a triple-kill in the following round. That play lit a fire in his team, with the Ninjas winning eleven out of the next twelve rounds, with the decreasing disadvantage visibly improving the team morale. Vitality found a second wind that won them the final two rounds after their unsuccessful streak, with a pivotal Dan “⁠apEX⁠” Madesclaire double-kill getting his team over the line and moving the series to Vertigo.

NIP won just four T-side rounds in the series

Ninjas in Pyjamas started strong on Vertigo, winning the pistol round and keeping the lead throughout the opening rounds. They got up to a 5-2 lead, but couldn’t hold on as Vitality began asserting themselves on the map. The scoreline remained close up to the interval, with the European combine having the narrowest of leads.

Once the sides switched, Vitality looked in complete control. They dropped just one round throughout the half to Patrick “⁠es3tag⁠” Hansen‘s 1v2 clutch, as they denied Ninjas in Pyjamas any space, not even allowing them to set up their default. Spinx looked at home on the map, recording 105 ADR on the map to give his team another win in the tournament.