NAVI collapse against NIP in BLAST Groups

The Major champions will go through the Last Chance stage to try to avoid falling to the Showdown.

Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated a very sloppy Natus Vincere 2-1 at BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2022. The Swedes started the gauntlet in the second round after finishing runners-up in Group A, and will now face OG on Saturday at 16:30 for a chance to qualify for the next stage of the BLAST circuit.

The CIS giants started the event in poor form, going 0-2 in Group B after two best-of-one matches. A victory over Liquid seemed to have kickstarted a return to form, but their uninspiring performance against the Ninjas meant that they will go through the Last Chance stage if they want to avoid the unforgiving Showdown.

hampus led by example throughout the series

Natus Vincere decided to start the match on their old reliable pick of Nuke, but it was not as straight-forward as they might have expected. An in-form Nicolas "⁠Plopski⁠" Gonzalez Zamora powered Ninjas in Pyjamas to a solid CT side, edging the first half 8-7 ahead in favor of the Ninjas.

Going into their defensive half, Natus Vincere needed their individuals to step up and they delivered. A chaotic start to the half following the second pistol gave way to a string of round wins in favor of the CIS squad, retaking the lead at 10-9. Natus Vincere only dropped two more before closing the map 16-11, courtesy of a fantastic Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev performance on the CT side.

Moving into Overpass, Hampus "⁠hampus⁠" Poser and Plopski came into their own on the offense. The Swedish duo were a constant nuisance for the CTs, constantly finding entries in the 9-6 half in favor of Ninjas in Pyjamas. The Swedes swiftly claimed map point after switching sides, conceding a short streak of rounds that briefly made spectators believe the possibility of a Natus Vincere comeback. However, the CIS hopes quickly faded as an unsuccessful B push gave Ninjas in Pyjamas the map 16-11.

After two really uninspiring maps, Love "⁠phzy⁠" Smidebrant turned his form around on Mirage as his team contained a disappointing Natus Vincere offense in a disorganized 10-5 half. The Swedes further expanded their lead after converting the second pistol round, securing match point at 15-5. There would be no redemption for the Major champions as Ninjas in Pyjamas secured the map 16-7, and the series 2-1.

BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2022Best of 3 Ninjas in PyjamasMatchpage 2 1 4th February 2022 Natus Vincere 11Nuke 16 16Overpass 11 16Mirage 7

Ninjas in Pyjamas	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Hampus 'hampus' Poserhampus	62 - 50	+12	98.2	1.35
Nicolas 'Plopski' Gonzalez ZamoraPlopski	61 - 45	+16	79.3	1.20
Fredrik 'REZ' SternerREZ	51 - 46	+5	73.0	1.10
Love 'phzy' Smidebrantphzy	49 - 51	-2	71.3	0.99
Patrick 'es3tag' Hansenes3tag	32 - 47	-15	52.6	0.81

Natus Vincere	K - D	+/-	ADR	Rating 2.0
Oleksandr 's1mple' Kostylievs1mple	67 - 53	+14	82.8	1.15
Valeriy 'b1t' Vakhovskiyb1t	50 - 48	+2	76.6	1.05
Kirill 'Boombl4' MikhailovBoombl4	48 - 50	-2	67.0	0.95
Denis 'electroNic' SharipovelectroNic	40 - 51	-11	67.1	0.90
Ilya 'Perfecto' ZalutskiyPerfecto	34 - 53	-19	51.8	0.75

OG #15 Valdemar 'valde' Bjørn VangsåNemanja 'nexa' IsakovićNikolaj 'niko' KristensenMateusz 'mantuu' WilczewskiShahar 'flameZ' Shushan Ninjas in Pyjamas #7 Patrick 'es3tag' HansenFredrik 'REZ' SternerHampus 'hampus' PoserNicolas 'Plopski' Gonzalez ZamoraLove 'phzy' Smidebrant Time is adjusted to your selected timezone Love 'phzy' Smidebrant Age: 19 Team: Ninjas in Pyjamas Rating 1.0: 1.04 Maps played: 392 KPR: 0.68 DPR: 0.62 Hampus 'hampus' Poser Age: 23 Team: Ninjas in Pyjamas Rating 1.0: 1.02 Maps played: 1292 KPR: 0.71 DPR: 0.70 Natus Vincere #1 Oleksandr 's1mple' KostylievDenis 'electroNic' SharipovKirill 'Boombl4' MikhailovIlya 'Perfecto' ZalutskiyValeriy 'b1t' Vakhovskiy Nicolas 'Plopski' Gonzalez Zamora Age: 19 Team: Ninjas in Pyjamas Rating 1.0: 1.02 Maps played: 939 KPR: 0.70 DPR: 0.66 Liquid #56 Richard 'shox' PapillonNick 'nitr0' CannellaKeith 'NAF' MarkovicJonathan 'EliGE' JablonowskiJosh 'oSee' Ohm Oleksandr 's1mple' Kostyliev Age: 24 Team: Natus Vincere Rating 1.0: 1.25 Maps played: 1490 KPR: 0.86 DPR: 0.64