BR6 Week 4 Key Takeaways: NiP rocket up from ninth to fourth in final week, Liquid fail to overturn poor start

The Brasileirao’s Stage 2 is now over – next stop, Copa Elite Six. Here’s what happened in the final week of BR6 play.

Ninjas in Pyjamas qualify for Copa Elite Six

Ninjas in Pyjamas headed into Brazil’s super week with a mere 6% chance of making it to the Copa Elite Six. It looked very unlikely that the Six Invitational 2021 champions would qualify due to their poor start that saw them ninth after six play days.

But though they left it late, they still made it after ending the stage with regulation victories against FURIA Esports, Team oNe, and Black Dragons. The wins against oNe and BD also opened the door to other teams to qualify, as the squad gate-kept both teams out of the CES running.

Ninjas in Pyjamas have clearly found a solution that works and have improved in terms of entry kills and map dominance. Now, it’s time for them to make their final push for the Berlin Major.

Team Liquid fail to overturn poor start

Heading into Brazil’s super week in eighth with just seven points, Liquid’s chances of qualifying for this stage’s Copa Elite Six were extremely low. But despite the odds, Liquid were two rounds away from qualifying anyway.

Team Liquid’s week began with the resurgence of Luccas “Paluh” Molina, who scored a SiegeGG rating of 1.98 against MIBR. After such a morale boost, 00 Nation spoiled Liquid’s fun by forcing an overtime on the second day. 

Just as if it was written in the stars, Sunday’s results made Brazil’s O Clássico a final qualifier for Copa Elite Six – the winner would fight for a round-trip ticket to Berlin, while the loser would be left to play in the Copa do Brasil.

Playing on Theme Park, both teams gave their all, but it was Liquid’s sloppiness on attack that tipped the scales. Despite taking all the entry frags on attack, they always lacked time to perform a solid push. 

Lucas “soulz1” Schinke was FaZe’s hero with a 3v1 clutch on round 10, which secured FaZe at least one point and pushed Liquid to win all the rounds left to qualify for CES. Although Liquid forced overtime, FaZe Clan did not give their rivals another chance and would eventually win by 8-6.

New Black Dragons, same old story

After an almost impeccable first half of the stage where the team got 10 out of a possible 12 points, defeating some of the most powerful teams in the region, Black Dragons have missed out on Copa Elite Six by just one point.

Last stage, Black Dragons’ round difference with FURIA Esports denied them a Copa Elite Six qualification. This time, just a point kept them away. 

Their defeat against Team oNe barred both squads from qualifying to the Copa Elite Six, with BD not having enough points and oNe having a worse round differential than the rest of their opponents.

Another near-perfect w7m stage, FURIA close behind

FURIA Esports and w7m esports lead Ninjas in Pyjamas and FaZe Clan and will represent Brazil in the Copa Elite Six. It also means that the Six Invitational 2021 roster will be present in the regional qualifier, as Julio “JULIO” Giacomelli will be there as FURIA’s coach after leaving NiP. 

Brazil’s Stage 2 standings have been dominated by w7m esports. The bulls started the stage with a loss against FaZe, but since won seven matches and only lost another one in overtime. With a second Major appearance on the cards, w7m will be hoping to showcase their true potential internationally this time after it was curtailed in Charlotte.