Ninjas in Pyjamas have emerged victorious at Stake Pulse Beat III, overcoming MIBR in an intense grand final showdown that ended 2-1. The series saw NIP dominate Mirage 13-2, fall short on Cache 17-19, before clinching Ancient 13-9 to seal the championship.
This triumph marks the third consecutive title for Karim "Krimbo" Moussa and his teammates within just three weeks. Following their victories at ROG JOURNEY Autumn and 1win Private Club Season 1, the team has skyrocketed in the VRS rankings. According to HLTV's invite simulation, this latest success gives them a staggering 98% probability of receiving an invitation to the PGL Major Singapore.
The Swedish organization maintained an undefeated record throughout the tournament, though their path to glory was far from easy. After taking down Betclic and Inner Circle during the group stage, they faced a brutal playoff battle against Liquid. In that match, NIP showcased remarkable resilience by erasing an 0-8 deficit on the second map to complete a reverse sweep.
Their semi-final clash with HEROIC proved equally challenging, as they once again had to mount a comeback on Mirage's deciding map to squeeze out a 2-1 victory. The grand final appeared headed for a quick finish after NIP crushed MIBR's Mirage selection, but Carlos "venomzera" Eduardo and Felipe "insani" Yuji had other plans. The Brazilian duo sparked a dramatic comeback from a 7-12 deficit on Cache, forcing double overtime and pushing the series to a third map.
On Ancient, NIP demonstrated their championship mentality one final time. Despite trailing 2-7 early on, they regained control and dominated the second half, surrendering merely two rounds to capture the Stockholm title.
