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First map of the BO3 series between Ninjas in Pyjamas and Luminosity Gaming was de_mirage. The series started off with an insane pistol round from NiP's T side, where Patrik ''f0rest'' Lindberg clutched the round in a 1v2 situation, securing his team an important early lead. The Swedes bought rifles in the second round, unfortunately for them, Luminosity’s Tacio ''TACO'' Filho got his hands on an AK-47 and managed to rob Aleksi ''Allu'' Jalli of his ace, securing Luminosity the second round. The following two rounds were secured by the Brazilians. After this manic start to the match, the round surplus was led by Luminosity’s CT side. Their ability to shut down NiP’s rushes, effectively communicate and retake bomb sites rewarded them with a 12-3 score at the half way mark.
The second pistol round went in favour of Luminosity, with a successful B rush that destroyed NiP’s defence. The Swedes were inspired by the cheering home crowd and seemed to have composed themselves after an unfortunate start, demonstrating this by pushing back against Luminosity’s aggression and as a result grabbed themselves five rounds. Following this loss streak, Luminosity reset their economy by winning a round, placing themselves at a comfortable 15-9 score, ever so close to securing the first map of the series. Finally, the Brazilians managed to land a win on the first map of the series with a 16-10 score.
Up next was NiP’s pick, de_cache. Yet again we saw an absolutely nail biting pistol round, where Luminosity rushed A site after a picking a member of NiP on boost, Christopher ''GeT_RiGhT'' Alesund landed two kills on A site, shortly after which Fernando ''fer'' Alvarenga clutched the round in a 1v2 situation against NiP. The following five rounds were secured by the Brazilians despite several attempts from the Swedes to salvage them. A tactical pause was called by NiP after losing these rounds. The discussion that took place yielded fruits and the Swedes regained their confidence. Time after time Luminosity were outplayed by the Swedes that adapted a more defensive strategy that proved effective against their rushes. The first half concluded at a 9-6 score in favour of Luminosity.
The second half saw Luminosity secure the pistol round through an effective flash onto NiP with a highly unfavourable exchange for the Swedes, which ended up losing them the round. Luminosity were not about to give up regardless of how many rounds they lost previously. A tactical pause was called out by the Brazilians, taking a minute to discuss and assess their situation. It proved effective as the team managed to secure an additional 2 rounds, securing a 15-12 score in favour of Luminosity. After a very tense few rounds, NiP managed to take the match to overtime, giving them a second breath.
During half time both teams were clearly feeling the pressure. They were butting heads; however both teams were playing equally well, resulting in a very level overtime. After an absolutely nerve-wracking match and overtime, NiP managed to overpower their Brazilian opponent with a total score of 20-19, taking the Swedes into a third map.
The final map of the day was de_cobblestone. NiP’s CT side took the pistol round with Allu showing up yet again in this series, securing a double kill when it really mattered. The second and third round NiP gave away to Luminosity, after an upsetting loss against the Brazilians’ eco. Following this confusing start the Brazilians decided to take the reins and started bombarding NiP with fast aggressive pushes, managing to secure a formidable 8-3 score. NiP pushed the Brazilian’s back and finalised the first half at 6-9 in Luminosity’s favour.
The second pistol round was taken by Luminosity, after NiP failed their A site rush and were taken one by one by the Brazilians. The home crowd was hyped, cheering for their favourite team, but unfortunately this didn’t change the outcome of the match and the Brazilian team took home the best of three series, with a final map score of 16-6.
