The winner of the Ninjas in Pyjamas and Team Vitality match would take a huge step forward in the battle to avoid relegation.
NiP are currently knocking on relegation’s door after failing to win a single series in the first five weeks of the EU LCS. The team were able to win a single game in their series against the Unicorns of Love in June, but were unable to capitalize on missed chances and give them the overall victory, which could have been crucial in the fight to avoid relegation.
Vitality, on the other hand, currently sit in fourth place in Group B, with a single series win separating them and Mysterious Monkeys from the relegation spot. A win today would boost their chances of avoiding relegation, with the Mysterious Monkeys hot on their tail.
In the first match of the day NiP feel behind in the early stages after being overly aggressive in multiple lanes. Vitality were able to punish the team easily and gain a substantial gold lead over their foes.
Vitality continued to pressure NiP into the late stages of the game, giving NiP little time to react as Vitality took complete control of the map.
When Vitality gained a big enough gold lead, the team backed off, patiently waiting to strike and find the crucial fight. The team proceeded to get the Ace, the Baron, and the game.
In the second game, NiP were able to find their second win of the season with an impressive team performance.
NiP were able to get first blood in the bot lane, which gave them a small gold lead. It was then up to their bot lane to capitalize on the advantage and win the early game.
NiP were able to get a substantial gold lead in the mid-game after successfully getting ahead in every lane. Vitality were quick to try and get themselves back into the game, however, as they attempted to sneak away a Baron buff under NiP’s nose.
Vitality succeeded, but at a cost. They lost a large portion of the team in the process, which gave NiP the numbers advantage to rush into Vitality’s base and steal the win.
The final game was a disaster for NiP. After impressing so well in the second game and improving upon their first game performance, it all went down hill.
Vitality’s jungler lay in wait in the top lane to strike in the early game, giving the team an early advantage. After that, NiP continuously tried to find fights across the map as a team, but never worked well together during the crucial engages. The team was separate at all times, trying to go after their own personal objective while Vitality picked off member after member as a unit.
It wasn’t long until Vitality had gained a large lead over their opponents, with no hope in sight for NiP to come back into this game. Vitality were able to grab the Baron at 20 minutes and finish the game off shortly after, taking the series.
NiP are now still two games behind fourth-placed Roccat in Group A, and are potentially three matches away from cementing their place at the bottom of the table if they don’t find a win soon. Vitality, on the other hand, now extend their lead over fifth-placed Mysterious Monkeys by two matches in Group B, as the team look to cement their place in the EU LCS for another year.
NiP now face Roccat on July 20, where a win will be needed if the they have any hope of avoiding the end-of-year relegation tournament. Vitality go up against Fnatic on July 15, a shock win would be the icing on the cake for the organization, as the team continues to pile pressure onto Mysterious Monkeys.
