Counter-Strike NIP take FACEIT EU Minor in emotional victory

CS:GO
25/07/2018
Ollie Green

Out of all of the FACEIT Minors so far, the European Minor was the one that we were the most unsure about who would come out on top in.

There were so many great teams taking part, so it made sense that when NIP took the FACEIT Minor win, they were incredibly emotional.

Here is a look back at the Minor, an overview of NIP’s performance, and a look ahead to the FACEIT Major in September.

FACEIT EU Minor Recap

here were eight teams attending the FACEIT EU Minor in London in July, but only two teams were able to proceed to the London Major.

FACEIT-Minors

Every team put up a fight, starting straight from the first group stage match. It started with OpTic and ENCE leading in Group A and NIP and Sprout leading in Group B. Yes, Sprout, the team lead by Youtuber NaToSaphiX. Besides that one upset, everything else seemed fairly expected, however.

In the playoffs, Sprout fell to ENCE in a 2-0 game. OpTic managed to pull ahead of NIP with a 2-1 victory, which sent NIP to the lower bracket. OpTic then defeated ENCE 2-1, taking themselves to the grand final, and knocking ENCE into the lower bracket as well.

In the lower bracket, NIP had a huge journey on their hands, but they came out triumphant. NIP took a 2-1 win against Sprout, who put up a strong fight despite losing their first game 16-3. The ENCE vs NIP lower bracket final saw NIP take two fairly easy maps from ENCE, which lead them into the grand final against OpTic. Their second matchup of the tournament.

The FACEIT stream also captured a very emotional moment after this victory. By defeating ENCE and getting into the grand final, NIP secured their spot as one of the two teams going to the FACEIT London Major.

This time, it seemed like NIP had been recharged with new energy. NIP performed incredibly well, taking a 16-8 on Dust 2 and a 16-7 on Nuke, to ensure themselves the grand final win.

Of course, NIP didn’t need to get the grand final win, but the fact that they went all the way showed that they are ready to fight till the end.

The FACEIT London Major – What to Expect

With the EU FACEIT Minor finished up, we know now the full team lineup for the FACEIT London Major.

First, here is a look at the event date and schedule:

New Challengers Stage – September 5-9
16 teams – 8 Eliminated, 8 Move Forward.

New Legends Stage – September 12-16
16 teams, 8 Eliminated, 8 Move Forward.

New Champions Stage – September 20-23
The ‘playoffs’. 8 teams, only one winner.

Finally, here is a look at all of the teams participating in the event.

2018 FACEIT Minor Champions (Will start at New Challengers Stage)

  • NIP
  • compLexity
  • HellRaisers
  • Renegades
  • OpTic
  • Rogue
  • Team Spirit
  • TyLoo

Boston Major’s Fallen Challengers (Will Start at New Challengers Stage)

  • Gambit
  • Vega Squadron
  • Space Soldiers
  • BIG
  • Astralis
  • Team Liquid
  • North
  • Virtus.Pro

Boston Major’s Legends (Will Start at New Legends Stage)

  • Cloud9
  • FaZe Clan
  • NaVi
  • MIBR
  • mousesports
  • Winstrike
  • G2
  • Fnatic