Ninjas in Pyjamas have come out on top in the grand final of Stake Ranked Episode 2, securing revenge against magic after their earlier loss to the Russophone side in the upper-bracket final.
Ninjas in Pyjamas had no trouble in their first two matches of the Spanish event, taking down HEROIC in their opening series before besting Sharks. magic, who were just coming off a stunning fourth-place finish at PGL Astana, proved to be too much to contend with, knocking Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer’s men down to the lower bracket after a lopsided two-map series.
Ninjas in Pyjamas rebounded once in the lower bracket, eliminating FaZe to secure a rematch against magic in the grand final. This time around, NIP came out on top, recovering from a 3-8 deficit on the Mirage decider to secure the trophy and $25,000 grand prize.
This result is a welcome turnaround in form for Ninjas in Pyjamas, who just came off a lackluster last-place finish at the CS Asia Championships. There, NIP faltered to B8 before being sent packing by local side Lynn Vision. As such, Ninjas in Pyjamas entered Stake Ranked Episode 2 as the second-lowest ranked team in the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) in attendance, ranked #35, only ahead of Sharks.
The full VRS impact of Stake Ranked Episode 2 is:
