Esports News: The Oracle Arena in Oakland, home of the Golden State Warriors of the NBA, was the location this past weekend for the latest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event.
In one of the most shocking events of the year, Ninjas in Pyjamas claimed first place at IEM Oakland 2017 and with it the $125,000 base first-place prize money.
Delay Costs Astralis
Coming into the event, NiP were expected to fight for the final playoff spot in Group A, but one last-minute change completely impacted the outcome of the group. NiP’s first opponent, Astralis, one of the favourites of both the group and tournament, were forced to use their coach as an emergency stand-in with star AWPer dev1ce being delayed due to illness.
NiP defeated Astralis 16-11 on Overpass before falling to SK Gaming, who are currently considered one of the top two teams in the world, 13-16 on Cobblestone. From there, NiP went on a 3-0 run with wins over Cloud9, The MongolZ, and Team EnVyUs, while SK dropped matches to both Astralis and Cloud9, giving NiP the unexpected number one seed.
NIP Win Rematch
With the first seed clinched, NiP found themselves automatically into the semifinals, where they would face off against fellow Group A member SK Gaming in a best-of-three. The initial map of Overpass started off poorly for NiP, as they lost seven of the first eight rounds on their T side. However, NiP were successfully able to rebound, claiming the final seven rounds of the half for an 8-7 halftime edge. Swapping over to the CT side, NiP put on an impressive defensive display, only dropping two rounds on the way to the 16-9 win.
After SK bounced back on Cache (16-8), it all came down to a back-and-forth Inferno for a spot in the finals. The key moment came in the 26th round as, after NiP successfully planted the bomb, GeT_RiGhT made an incredible flank by wrapping all the way around the map to surprise SK from behind. This play helped push NiP to 15 rounds, and one round later they claimed victory at 16-11.
FaZe Clan a Tough Opponent
Awaiting NiP in the finals were FaZe Clan, the team widely considered the best in the world. FaZe have been on an incredible hot streak ever since the additions of GuardiaN and olofmeister to the lineup, giving them the most talented roster CS:GO has ever seen.
In the best-of-five series, NiP struck first blood on an incredibly well-fought Cobblestone. After having a 9-6 halftime edge, NiP won four of the opening five rounds to begin pulling away at 13-7. After trading rounds back and forth, one for one, NIP claimed victory at 16-10. Longtime veteran f0rest had an incredible game, securing 27 kills across the 26 rounds of play.
Rain and NiKo Impress
The next map of Inferno was a complete stomp for the guys from FaZe Clan, as a dominant T-side (11-4) led to a one-sided 16-7 finish. Rain and NiKo each went ballistic, grabbing 24 kills each, with the next closest on their team being olof with 15.
Map three was Train, where once again NiP found success off the back of f0rest. After a close first-half and an 8-7 edge, NiP had a solid CT hold, only dropping three of 11 rounds for the 16-10 victory. Once again, f0rest topped the scoreboard, with 26 kills in as many rounds.
In an eerily similar match to Inferno, FaZe completely crushed NiP on Overpass to the tune of 16-6. Following a 13-2 CT side, there was little hope of an NiP comeback, with FaZe claiming the comfortable victory. Rain was again joined by olofmeister at the top of the scoreboard, with 26 and 25 kills respectively.
The final map was Cache, with FaZe claiming three of the first four rounds. NiP then gathered three rounds of their own before FaZe countered with their own three-round run. Crucially for NiP, they won the final four rounds of the half, giving them the 9-6 lead heading into the break. While FaZe did claim the next three rounds to tie up the score at 9-9, it was NiP from there, as the Swedish side only dropped one more round all map long. NiP secured their third 16-10 win of the finals, giving them the victory, and their second straight IEM Oakland title.
The MVP of this event was REZ, a player that rarely topped the scoreboard for NIP. However, REZ’s impact was clear, as he continually found the opening kill that led his team to victory. REZ appears to be an emerging star for NiP, but his development over the next few months will be the key to NiP finding any sort of prolonged success.
