The group stage of DreamHack Summer is over with Na'Vi and NiP rounding out the list of playoff participants.
Group B featured two invitees and two teams from the qualifiers. Ninjas in Pyjamas and Natus Vincere were clear favourites, but the teams which came from the qualifiers, Dignitas and Kinguin, still had a lot to show. The Danish team was performing really well recently, so everyone was looking at them hoping for at least one upset. On the other hand, Kinguin had some mixed results and this was a real chance for them to shine.
NiP and Dignitas were first to open the group. They met on de_mirage, a map where Dignitas is probably feeling more comfortable. Still, the home crowd team, NiP, opened this map in big fashion, claiming eight rounds in a row, which eventually ended with the Swedes up 13-2 at halftime. Dignitas tried to make a comeback but they simply couldn't resist a very strong NiP performance, as the Swedish team took this map 16-9.
Next in line was a match between the other two teams in this group, Na'Vi and Kinguin. We once again saw de_mirage where the Ukranian team had a very strong start on T side. They claimed 10 rounds which was more than enough for them to deny Kinguin from making any upset in this match. Na'Vi won this map with a 16-9 scoreline and moved on to the winners match.
The losers match, which was also the elimination one, saw a very close match where both teams were performing really well. Dignitas were first to open the match and to take an early lead on T side. As the halftime score was showing 10-5, it was looking like the Danes would take this one easily. But suddenly, the newly formed team Kinguin also had something to show. They were almost there to make a real comeback and move this match to overtime, but in the final round Dignitas scored the match point for 16-14. This sent Kinguin packing and also provided Dignitas with another chance try their luck in the deciding match.
In the winners match we saw a true battle of the two giants. Natus Vincere came to this event with a very good track record in recent events, while NiP had a very shaky month. The map was de_cobblestone, which slightly favored the Ukranian side. They opened it very well, claiming eight consecutive rounds. It was beginning to look like we were going to witness another one sided match. Nevertheless, allu managed to clutch a 1v2 situation and in doing so won the first round for his team. This clutch pushed Na'Vi back to ecoing. In the end, Na'Vi had a 10-5 lead as they moved to the less favored T side. However, winning the second pistol round put the Ukranian team too far ahead and they had enough space to close the match out, capitalizing on a fine team performance.
In the final deciding match of the group, NiP and Dignitas were fighting for the second spot in the playoffs. They battled it out on de_cache, where Dignitas started on the more favourable CT side. NiP opened it very well, claiming 9 rounds on T side, but Dignitas struck back by winning the second pistol round. Once NiP got the full buy they desired, they regained control and took the match with a final score of 16-11.
Day 3 schedule:
14.00 CEST - Fnatic vs Ninjas in Pyjamas
17.30 CEST - Natus Vincere vs Titan
21.00 CEST - Grand Finals
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