Aditya ChaudhuriNew signing device stars for the Swedish team.
Ninjas in Pyjamas overcame the ENCE challenge to win the best of five finals 3-1 to take home the Intel Extreme Masters Season XVI – Fall: Europe. The win sees the Swedish team take home the prize money of US$27,500.
After a clean 5-0 sweep in the group stages, the Ninjas faced Movistar Riders in the quarterfinals, whom they brushed aside with a 2-1 victory thanks to their star Danish AWPer, device. The Swedes faced French giants Team Vitality in the semifinals and even though the French team were the favourites to go through, the Ninjas caused a major upset.
After going down 5-16 in the opening map of the semifinals on Nuke, the Ninjas bounced back strongly, especially on Overpass, which has been a stronghold of the French team. Strong performances from REZ and device saw the Swedes beat the French 16-9 on Vitality’s map pick and the Ninjas carried that strong form into the final map on Inferno where they obliterated Vitality. The Swedes ran through Inferno, taking it 16-2, with their in-game leader (IGL) hampus leading from the front with a dominant performance.
The other semi-final was between ENCE and Danish powerhouse Astralis and it looked like device would be up against his old team for the final. ENCE, though, had different plans and routed the Danish champions 2-0, winning 16-4 on Nuke and 16-7 on Ancient, to set up a date with Ninjas in Pyjamas for the final.
The Swedes started the final strongly with a dominant 16-8 win on Overpass with device coming to the party. ENCE, though, weren’t giving up easily and fought back on Mirage, taking the second map 16-7 to tie the best of five finals at 1-1.
ENCE‘s Polish star dycha led from the front with a strong show on one of CS:GO’s most played maps. The Swedes, though, retook the series lead with a stunning 16-14 comeback victory on Ancient. After being 13-7 down, the Ninjas, riding once again on device’s coattails, put together seven consecutive rounds to demolish the Finnish team. ENCE needed to win on Nuke to keep the series alive, but once again Ninja’s blockbuster summer signing device, ably supported by REZ, made sure ENCE had no opportunity to take the series to a fifth map, winning the fourth map 16-6 to take the final 3-1.
After a rough couple of seasons, the Ninjas finally look like they are worthy competitors once again and all the noise made in the summer about their big signing of Nicolai “?device?” Reedtz is finally paying off. A four-time Major winner, device knows what is needed to go the extra yard, and the Dane is not only showcasing his skills in game but also sharing his experiences with the rest of the team to build a strong base for the Ninjas.
device also confirmed his first MVP with his new team, at the IEM Masters Season XVI – Fall: Europe, taking his career MVP titles to a record breaking 19. With the win, the Ninjas confirmed their Legends status, and heading into the US$2 million PGL Major Stockholm, which is scheduled to start from October 25, it gives the Swedes a major boost for their chances at their home Major.
The Stockholm Major will be the first CS:GO event in two years, since the StarLadder Major. The tournament is set to welcome back the fans to the arenas. The tournament will see 24 teams fight it out for the game’s elite prize, and although most of the big names had already booked their Major berth, the IEM Masters Season XVI – Fall: Europe helped the likes of Copenhagen Flames to cement a place at the Major.
Scheduled to run between October 25 and November 7, the Stockholm Major will see heavyweights like NaVi, Team Vitality, Astralis, Team Liquid, Gambit, Heroic, BIG and NiP amongst many others take on each other to take the ‘world’s best title’.
