On November 17, the last match of the group phase of the IEM Beijing – Haidian tournament was held, which finally determined the composition of the teams that entered the playoffs. In this match BIG defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas with a score of 2 : 1, securing their passage to the next stage of the tournament.
At first it seemed that both teams had about equal chances to win, as on the first map (Vertigo) the leader was determined only as a result of overtime. However, on the next two maps (Nuke and Mirage) the opponents showed themselves more vividly. Although Ninjas in Pyjamas performed well on Vertigo and Nuke, they were unable to convert that advantage into a win. One of these two maps remained for NiP, the other – for BIG, and as a result, the German team won the right to participate in the playoffs. At Mirage, they managed to gain a 13 round advantage by playing for offense, resulting in a 16 : 6 card draw.
BIG will face Complexity in their next match. The lot determined the other pairs of participants: in particular, Natus Vincere will once again fight against Astralis, Heroic will play against Vitality, and FaZe will meet G2.
