The first major tournament for an Asian team in 14 years. Results of YaLLa Compass 2024
Before the start of YaLLa Compass 2024, no one could have predicted that the grand final of the $400,000 championship would turn out exactly like this. The main prize was won by Ninjas in Pyjamas, who had not been seen on the shooting range 1 stage for several years, and The Mongolz – eternal outsiders who surprise eminent rivals, but a real breakthrough was never expected from them. However, in Abu Dhabi, it was these two teams that showed the best game and reached the grand final. In this material we will discuss the past YaLLa Compass 2024 and summarize the performance of its participants.
The Mongolz entered the Tier 1 stage?
After winning YaLLa Compass 2024, we can definitely say that The Mongolz have outgrown their status as outsiders. This triumph was important not only for the team, but also for the entire Asian scene. The last time a team from this region won a major tournament was back in the days of CS 1.6 – 14 years ago. If a successful performance in the group stage could be attributed to luck and an inconvenient format, then the Mongols destroyed all doubts with their performance in the playoffs. In the semi-finals, The Mongolz made up for lost time and shut down Astralis, whom they couldn’t cope with in the group. The grand final with Ninjas in Pyjamas turned out to be tense, but after losing on the first map, the team completely seized the initiative and took Mirage and Nuke without any problems. YaLLa Compass 2024 became the second LAN won in a row for The Mongolz, and on June 14 the team will begin its journey to ESL Challenger Jönköping 2024 and has every chance of winning the third tournament in a row.
Are Ninjas in Pyjamas back?
Despite losing in the grand final, Ninjas in Pyjamas did a great job. Before the start of YaLLa Compass 2024, everyone was expecting another failure from the legendary club, but the new lineup turned out to be truly competitive. In the playoffs, the team dealt with fnatic and FURIA without any problems and closed both matches with a score of 2:0. It is also worth taking into account the resounding victory over Astralis within the group. If Ninjas in Pyjamas continue to work in this vein, they have every chance of a full return to the tier-1 scene.
The Astralis curse is not broken
YaLLa Compass 2024 was supposed to be exactly the tournament where Astralis would finally surpass themselves and be able to break the series of defeats in the semi-finals. However, the tournament showed that this trend does not depend on the Danish opponents; the team was unable to cope with The Mongolz, just like with the world giants at larger championships. It’s still difficult to say what’s going wrong with Astralis, but with an updated and strengthened roster, it cannot rise above 3-4 places in all tournaments.
FURIA on the way to a comeback
In the playoffs it was also a big surprise to see FURIA, which had clearly lost all positions after the roster update. Everyone thought that the club was gradually going lower and lower, but the team was able to get out of first place in the group. Of course, they failed to show a decent game against Ninjas in Pyjamas, but this is a more positive result compared to her recent performances. A full picture of FURIA will be possible at the next tournaments, where all the world’s greats will compete, but it has at least minimal potential for returning to tier-1.
Has fnatic's revival begun?
As with Ninjas in Pyjamas, fans no longer expected fnatic to return. However, Benjamin blameF Bremer became the missing link that strengthened the current lineup. In the playoffs they didn’t have much of a chance against NiP, but in the group they earned several significant victories: the team defeated Eternal Fire, Complexity and BIG. This is already much better than all the recent performances of the legendary tag, when the team could not compete even with the strongest opponents on the LAN. Fnatic still has a huge amount of work ahead of them and perhaps a few more roster changes, but the team already has a chance to return to the previous level that fans have been waiting for for quite some time.
BetBoom Team is closer than ever
BetBoom Team didn’t even have to play at YaLLa Compass 2024, as they failed the qualifications, but in the end they still received a direct invitation to the championship. Also, no one expected that they would be the main contender for first place in the group, the team ended up only qualifying from second due to the difference in points with FURIA, but this is still an excellent result for BB Team. In the playoffs, the team also performed well and practically defeated Astralis, but, thanks to their vast experience, the opponents did not allow them to create a sensation. At YaLLa Compass 2024 BetBoom Team looked like a strong team, but it really lacked individual performance from its captain, Vladislav nafany Gorshkov finished the championship as one of the worst players statistically. If the team leader can rehabilitate himself, BB Team has every chance of becoming a full-fledged team that can compete for the main trophies.
YaLLa Compass 2024 did not turn out to be a real major tournament, despite the impressive prize pool. However, it gave slightly different emotions that were missing at the other LANs. Over the past week, we looked at the success of those teams from whom this was not expected at all. The championship could be a successful springboard for the return of such tags as Ninjas in Pyjamas, fnatic and FURIA, as well as for The Mongolz, who have a chance to gain a foothold at the top of the professional scene.