ENCE and Ninjas in Pyjamas will meet in the fourth round of the main stage of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, where they will fight for the right not to be eliminated from the championship.
I don't think ENCE want to make their situation any worse, as, barring a match against Into the Breach, the team is showing a really strong and entertaining game.
Ninjas in Pyjamas, on the other hand, cannot come up with anything under pressure, and the Ninjas have already lost to this opponent in the Challengers Stage. So here I would lean on the ENCE team to win.
ENCE's form
The ninth ranked team in the world fell at the Brazy Party 2023 online tournament, where they were defeated by SAW and Astralis, not even making it through to the play-offs.
However, the European side made amends on the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Challengers Stage with three victories over OG, Ninjas in Pyjamas and FaZe Clan.
Furthermore, ENCE did well at the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, where they shut out Bad News Eagles before losing to Vitality. But the loss to Into the Breach is beyond any logic.
Recent ENCE results:
- A 16-9 win over Ninjas in Pyjamas.
- Defeating FaZe Clan 2-1.
- 16-9 win over Bad News Eagles.
- 13-16 defeat of Vitality.
- Defeat to Into the Breach by a score of 7-16.
ENCE's best scores:
- Ancient - 80% wins.
- Nuke - 80% wins.
- Mirage - 60% wins.
- Vertigo - 50% wins.
It is worth remembering that the ENCE team is steadily giving up Inferno maps.
Ninjas in Pyjamas uniform
Fourteenth world ranked team managed to fail at IEM Rio 2023, where they were limited to two dinners over Imperial Esports and 9INE in the group, but also Ledgeila Natus Vincere and Heroic.
Ninjas in Pyjamas, however, played well in the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Challengers Stage, where they responded to a loss to ENCE with good wins over MOUZ, OG and Grayhound Gaming.
However, the European squad has yet to make it in the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 main stage, as their victory over FURIA has come with two defeats from fnatic and Natus Vincere.
The latest results from Ninjas in Pyjamas:
- A 19-17 win over OG.
- A 2-0 win over Grayhound Gaming.
- Defeat at the hands of fnatic by a score of 11-16.
- 16-8 win over FURIA.
- Defeat by Natus Vincere 9-16.
Ninjas in Pyjamas top scorers:
- Mirage - 79% wins.
- Nuke - 60% wins.
- Vertigo - 57% wins.
- Overpass - 50% wins.
Ninjas in Pyjamas, on the other hand, has long since given up on Anubis.
ENCE - Ninjas in Pyjamas meeting statistics
The teams have met once this season - the Paris Major 2023 Challengers Stage at BLAST.tv saw ENCE win 16-9.
ENCE vs Ninjas in Pyjamas
As practice shows, Ninjas in Pyjamas constantly have problems in close games. Here and the day before the Europeans Ledge and Natus Vincere, showing a weak game on both sides.
I won't say anything about ENCE, as the naked result is brighter than any arguments. However, sAw's wards are objectively stronger and more structured than their opponents, which they proved in the Challengers Stage, albeit in the context of one match.
So in this case I'd recommend betting on ENCE to win.
