Liquid reverse swept out of Stake Pulse Beat III by NIP

NIP, and looked primed to sweep the series 2-0 on Nuke before NIP came back and won the second map. The third map went to overtime, where NIP eeked out the win v.

Also read: VRS Expert Udknud hired by HEROIC as VRS & Data Analyst Liquid chose to begin the series on Mirage. NIP took advantage of their CT-side start, though, holding a slight 7-5 lead at the half.

Liquid took control in their defensive half, though, as the North American squad only gave up two rounds in the second half to win the map 13-9. NIP picked Nuke, and Liquid started strong on the CT side.

TL took an 8-4 lead into the halftime break, leaving NIP with little room for error to stay alive in the tournament. This time, NIP surrendered just two rounds in the second half, as the Europeans' flurry propelled them to a 13-10 victory in Colorado.

Cache was the decider, and the closest map of the series. Liquid held a slight 7-5 lead after their first-half T side. NIP answered right back to force overtime, and they would keep that momentum going into the extra period.

Having just traveled back from Malta the night before the playoffs, Ninjas in Pyjamas narrowly avoided punishment for their scheduling headache with a hard-earned victory over Liquid .

The North American side rued the missed opportunity, as they gave up a lead in the series and an 8-0 advantage on the second map, Nuke, as well as a 12-10 on the deciding Cache.

HEROIC then made short work of fnatic before Astralis and MIBR clashed in another three-map affair. There, the Brazilian-majority team had Felipe "⁠insani⁠" Yuji to thank for a hard-carry performance and recovery from a 0-1 deficit in the series.

The 22-year-old ended the series on a 1.78 rating with his second-best teammate on 1.00, putting on a 36-20 masterclass in an overtime win on Cache before leading the way with another dominant showcase on Mirage.

The quarter-final day came to a close with 100 Thieves securing a swift 2-0 victory over Sangal , continuing their return to form and uptick in the Major race, in which they now sit at a healthy 68.1% chance to qualify.

Jack "Gizmy" von Spreckelsen's men didn't have too much trouble with Sangal, winning the series 2-0 and giving up single-digit rounds in both maps.

According to HLTV , 100 Thieves' Major odds have jumped up to 67% with their win over Sangal, and it will become 97% if they win Stake Pulse Beat III.

Also read: Liquid reverse swept out of Stake Pulse Beat III by NIP Nuke was Sangal's pick to start the series. They would have been happy with their T side, as Sangal started with a 7-5 lead at halftime.

Gizmy captained 100 Thieves to a nearly flawless T side, though, as 100T would drop just one round in the second half to win the map 13-8. Sangal won the pistol, but 100 Thieves didn't let them convert and actually took the momentum for themselves.

100 Thieves took a solid 8-4 lead after their T side. The second half was another near-shutout for 100T. The European side gave up one round to win the map 13-5 and move ontot he semifinals.

It is the third trophy in as many weeks for Karim "⁠Krimbo⁠" Moussa 's men, who soared up the VRS after securing consecutive titles at ROG JOURNEY Autumn and 1win Private Club Season 1.

Read more NIP claim second consecutive title with ROG JOURNEY win A third win has all but secured the team an invite to PGL Major Singapore, with HLTV's invite simulation putting them at a 98% chance of qualifying.

Ninjas in Pyjamas didn't drop a series en route to their title victory, although they were pushed to the limit in all but one of their five series.

Wins over Betclic and Inner Circle in the group stage gave way to a hard-fought three-map series victory over Liquid in the playoffs, where Ninjas in Pyjamas had to fight back from a 0-8 deficit on map two to pull off a reverse-sweep.

Ninjas in Pyjamas showed tenacity, though, and climbed back from a deficit of their own on Ancient, running away with the game after being down 2-7 by giving up just two rounds in the second half to secure the title win in Stockholm.

The Europeans defeated Liquid 16-13 to secure the reverse sweep and eliminate Liquid from Stake Pulse Beat III 2-1 in the quarterfinals.