The return of Ninjas in Pyjamas and the dominant The Mongolz. Preview of the YaLLa Compass 2024 playoffs
The group stage of YaLLa Compass 2024 has ended – a tournament with a huge prize pool, but a very strange format. The groups were completed in just two days, but 30 matches were played in them, because the teams had to play a round-robin system, and matches were played against each of the opponents. The audience did not like this format, and probably neither did the players themselves. On the last day, some of the matches no longer decided anything, and some teams lost their chances of making it to the playoffs by the middle of it. However, YaLLa Compass 2024 in Abu Dhabi gave us many sensations, the main one being The Mongolz, who went 4:0 in the group and lost only in an indecisive match against the main favorites of the tournament – Astralis. Also unexpected was the successful performance of the new line-up Ninjas in Pyjamas, who even managed to beat Astralis themselves. In this article we will discuss the upcoming playoffs of YaLLa Compass 2024 and share forecasts for the tournament champion.
Can The Mongolz continue their dominance in the playoffs?
YaLLa Compass 2024 showed that The Mongolz, after a long time, are finally emerging from the status of a permanent outsider and are as close as possible to the tier-1 scene. In the group, the team coped with a strong mix of Sashi, new lineups ENCE and Ninjas in Pyjamas, as well as HEROIC. The defeat against Astralis cannot be taken seriously, since by that time the position of the teams in the group was already known: The Mongolz came out in first place, and their opponents in third.
Before YaLLa Compass 2024, The Mongolz also won the LAN, which was held in their homeland. At MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2024, in addition to Mongolian rosters, BLEED, Aurora, OG and Gaimin Gladiators played, so it can already be considered international, although closer to the tier-2 stage. In Abu Dhabi, the team also performs well and surprises the favorites with its playing style and crazy shooting. But it’s still difficult to say whether this surprise will be enough to play in the arena, because additional pressure and responsibility will be added there. The Mongolz will begin the playoffs with the semi-finals, where they will meet the winner of the pair Astralis and BetBoom Team. Most likely they will play with the Danes, but they won’t be able to stop them as easily as in the group. Niсolai device Reedtz clearly wants to lead his team to a well-deserved trophy.
Is the new Ninjas in Pyjamas lineup really that good?
Everyone expected Ninjas in Pyjamas to be another failure on the LAN, but the team showed that the new lineup can compete for its place in Tier 1. In the group, they, like The Mongolz, have only one defeat. They failed to beat the Mongols in a head-to-head match, but beat ENCE, HEROIC, Astralis and Sashi. Ninjas in Pyjamas received a stable sniper Artem r1nkle Moroz, who is eager to perform at tier-1 and will do everything for the success of his team. Also joining NiP is Isak isak Fahlen from GamerLegion. With new players, the team was finally able to get into shape and has every chance of successfully performing in the playoffs. Their first opponent will be fnatic, who have also updated quite well. Benjamin blameF Bremer, who was kicked from Astralis, came to them. The quarterfinals between these teams will be equal, but Ninjas in Pyjamas have a better chance of success.
Astralis has some difficulties
On the contrary, an impeccable game was expected from Astralis and they should have left such a group with a score of 5:0, but after defeating HEROIC on the first day of YaLLa Compass 2024, something went wrong. The team lost to Sashi, and then failed to cope with Ninjas in Pyjamas. But she still managed to get back in order at the end of the group stage and beat ENCE and The Mongolz without any problems. It’s too early to say that because of this Astralis should fail the tournament, which they clearly came to win; playing in the playoffs is completely different. There should not be any difficulties in the match with BetBoom Team, and already in the semi-finals the team is ready to once again shut down the dangerous Mongols. In the grand final, Astralis will most likely have to play with Ninjas in Pyjamas, where the experience of the players, as well as personal performance, will help them take revenge. NiP themselves are not yet ready to perform on the big stage, this is only the first tournament for them.
Have Fnatic strengthened?
No one expected the transfer of Benjamin BlameF Bremer to fnatic, nor did anyone expect it to be beneficial. But the team has worked well on its game and shows a decent level of performance. In the group they lost only to BetBoom Team and FURIA and were able to defeat Eternal Fire, Complexity and BIG. But the successful group stage still does not inspire confidence before the start of the playoffs, where fnatic still looks like one of the main outsiders.
Return of FURIA
Everyone has long buried FURIA as a stable tier-1 team, but the Brazilians returned when no one expected it. They finished the group in first place with one loss against BIG. However, it is too early to talk about a full return; we need to see how FURIA will play in the semi-finals, where they will meet the winner of the pair Ninjas in Pyjamas and fnatic.
YaLLa Compass 2024 still looks extremely unpredictable due to the random group stage, but the playoffs should stabilize the situation in the tournament and put the balance of power in the tournament in order. Most likely, this will end with Astralis’ first victory in a long time, as they are a team that is a level above their rivals and has already gained experience at other major LANs.