Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Astralis: Tough rivals

The Intel Extreme Masters Winter 2021 tournament, one of the most prestigious CS:GO tournaments in the world, will run from December 2-12, where teams will compete for $250,000 in prize money and ESL Pro Tour points. IEM tournaments are among those where teams compete more for the title than for the prize money. IEM Winter tournaments also belong to the Intel Grand Slam series, which gives special motivation to prepare and good performance of the teams at the event. A total of 16 teams from all over the world will take part in the tournament. In the group stage, the teams are divided into two groups of eight teams each. The group matches will be played in a double-elimination bracket (any team will face the loser in a double-elimination bracket match and have the option to continue) BO3. Still, the group opener will be in BO1 format. Playoffs: single elimination (to one defeat) with BO5 grand final.

After the recent events (transfer of Nicolai device Reedtz from Astralis to NIP), the rivalry between these two clubs will always be fundamental. In interviews, the guys have said that they keep a good friendship but always want to be victorious in the confrontation. In the battle between Astralis and NIP, there are no tournaments, titles, and prize money for the teams, only the desire to outdo the opponent. With the departure of the Danish top-five sharpshooter, the team’s results took a turn for the worse, leading to more substitutions. In turn, after signing ‘device’, the Swedish squad expected a sharp increase, which, alas, did not happen. The results were controversial, and this high-profile deal brought only a few equally high-profile headlines but, unfortunately, no championships for the Swedish club. Maybe CS:GO is a team game, and one star in the squad is not enough to qualify for titles.

The Swedish team began experimenting with the line-up back in late 2019. After the departure of their stars (Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund and Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg), various players came and went. With the arrival of “device” sniper Tim “nawwk” Jonasson was removed from the starting line-up, and shortly before that, there was another change. A young player from the academy (Young Ninjas) was brought into the line-up. Subsequently, he was replaced by another player from the same academy. The whole thing ended with the signing of Patrick “es3tag” Hansen. Just like the situation with “device,” this substitution looked like another strengthening of the squad, but as a consequence, it was a complete failure in the last tournament (BLAST Premier Fall Final 2021). Is this the end of the constant search for a fifth player, or will we soon hear of another replacement?

The best hltv ranking is 2nd in the world. Currently, they are in 6th place.

The best map is ancient, with a win rate of 89% for nine maps played.

The Danish line-up had long been unable to find their game after the device left them. Everyone tried to take over his role as a sniper in the line-up, but it did not work out. In general, the club experienced probably the most difficult times because the players went on holiday for various reasons during the year, which prompted the “device” to change the team. Even without that, however, it looked as though the lads were finishing out their contracts, realizing that everyone was ready for a change. This all led to a complete overhaul of the squad with the signing of three new players and a new coach. Benjamin “blameF” Bremer and Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke, who are experienced, motivated, and hungry for wins, and Philip “Lucky” Ewald, a young academy player (Astralis Talent), joined the team. Already in the new line-up, the organization played at the BLAST Premier Fall Final 2021. And, against all odds, performed more than adequately, finishing third in the tournament and getting a quota for the global finals of BLAST. The team is determined to win, but only at several tournaments will we know whether this is a real rebirth of the legendary “tag” or an attempt to maintain credibility.

The best rating, according to hltv, is 8th in the world. The current ranking is 9th.

The best map is mirage, with a win rate of 67% for three maps played.

I recommend taking a handicap 2 (-3.5) on the first map for 3.25.

Or just a win for Astralis in regular time on map 1 for 1.64.