Ninjas in Pyjamas reach Stake Ranked upper final

Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated Sharks 13-7 on Ancient and 13-5 on Nuke to reach the upper-bracket final of Stake Ranked Episode 2 in Barcelona. The match finished just past midnight on May 28.

Rasmus ‘sjuush’ Beck led NIP on Ancient with a 24-12 kill-death and a 1.68 rating. Kacper ‘xKacpersky’ Gabara posted a career-best 2.81 rating and a 26-10 line on Nuke. Coach and in-game leader Marco ‘Snappi’ Pfeiffer organized counter-strategies that limited Sharks’ set plays across both maps.

After the match, Rasmus ‘sjuush’ Beck described Sharks’ approach as ‘good executes,’ adding the sequences provided material for NIP to develop counters during the series.

Earlier on May 28, Alliance eliminated 3DMAX 2-1 in the lower bracket. 9z ousted HEROIC 2-1 after two overtimes on the deciding map; 9z had been sent to the lower bracket by Sharks on day one but kept their tournament run alive with the comeback win.

Ninjas in Pyjamas will face magic in the upper-bracket final. FaZe dropped to the lower bracket after a loss to magic and are scheduled to play 9z on May 29. The day’s listed schedule also includes Alliance vs Sharks and the NIP vs magic match at 15:00.

Stake Ranked Episode 2 is being held in Barcelona under a double-elimination format, with teams competing for placement and prize money as the event moves into its final rounds.

Earlier, we reported that 3DMAX accepted the invitation to the $1M XSE Pro League in Guangzhou.