Week 6 of European ESL Pro League determined the fate for some teams hoping to secure the a top-six spot and make the playoffs. Ninjas in Pyjamas looks better after ending the week with a few wins to fit comfortably in the fifth spot. As for G2 Esports, the sixth spot is still in hand, but the final spot is still up for grabs with a week remaining.
Ninjas in Pyjamas (12-10, 35 points) started its week out on the right foot with a dominant 2-0 sweep of BIG (9-11, 25 points). After taking down the German-based team on Mirage 16-4, the Swedes then continued their reign in Game 2 to secure Cache and the series sweep. On Wednesday, NiP had trouble against GODSENT (9-13, 27 points) and its stellar second-half performance in Game 1. NiP forced overtime and came out swinging with a 4-1 round record to clinch Overpass 19-16. Both teams had a highly contested second half of Cobblestone as well with NiP taking the lead late, but it was GODSENT who closed out the series with three straight rounds for a 16-14 win to split the series.
Recent ELEAGUE Premiere champion FaZe Clan (14-8, 43 points) continued its dominance in Week 6 to secure a playoff berth. The week started on Tuesday against GODSENT, and the underdog looked defenseless on Cobblestone in a 16-4 loss. FaZe then dominated the field in Game 2 with a first half lead 12-3, but GODSENT put up a fight in the second half. Still, it wasn't nearly enough to close the series as FaZe took Inferno 16-10. FaZe Clan then benefitted from Team LDLC (11-9, 31 points) failing to show up on time, giving FaZe two free wins. All told, by week's end, FaZe tied with Fnatic (14-8, 43 points) for the top spot in the EU standings.
North (13-7, 38 points) started the week off right on Tuesday in a close series with Fnatic that saw two overtime battles. Fnatic came back to force the map point advantage in Game 1, but North forced the extra rounds to save the series. In overtime, Fnatic picked up a defensive pair in the first half, but North rallied for three rounds to close Mirage with a 19-17 win. In Game 2, North had the advantage over Fnatic, but this time around the EPL leaders forced the extra rounds. North again came up clutch in OT, and Fnatic only took one round as its opponent clinched the 2-0 sweep. To conclude the week, North went head-to-head against a struggling Natus Vincere (7-13, 21 points), which barely won the eight rounds in a 16-8 loss on Overpass. However, the series tilted for Na'Vi; it forced overtime on Nuke and take the Danes in the extra rounds for a series tie 19-17.
The French super-team of G2 Esports (10-10, 31 points) had an eventful Week 6 showcase and picked up a pair of wins for a top-six spot. G2 started the week with Heroic (7-11, 23 points) in a 2-0 series sweep, then split its series with BIG and got a win off an LDLC forfeit.
With one week remaining, Fnatic and FaZe are tied for the top two spots in the standings. North, Astralis, Ninjas in Pyjamas and G2 Esports round out the top six. EPL play will continue in Europe after a two-week break as teams will gear up for DreamHack Open Denver and EPICENTER. The action will continue at 2 p.m. ET on Nov. 7 with Team EnVyUs taking on BIG.