On the final day of Week 1, Ninjas in Pyjamas had its re-debut into the European League of Legends Championship Series spoiled Saturday in a demoralizing 2-0 sweep at the hands of Fnatic in Berlin.
In Ninjas in Pyjamas' opening game of its return to the EU LCS, it was clear that there were some growing pains. NiP (0-1, 0-2 match record) went for a teamfighting composition with AD carry Martin "HeaQ" Kordmaa's Ashe and mid laner Kim "Nagne" Sang-moon's Galio, but Fnatic (2-0, 4-0 match record) never let the newcomers get into a groove. Fnatic instead initiated fights on its own terms, gaining control of the game. To the pyjama-clad ninjas' credit, it kept things pretty even into the mid game after Fnatic tried to jump out ahead early. Once the late game hit, Fnatic began to snowball through the teamfights that NiP were never able to get a hold of. The snowball crescendoed with a 4-for-0 teamfight win at 28 minutes, giving Fnatic Baron which it used shortly after to break open NiP's base for the Game 1 win.
Despite getting handled in the first game, Ninjas in Pyjamas came out with a renewed energy in the second game. With both teams taking team compositions filled with disengage and shielding options, a close battle was sure to transpire. NiP started off with a first blood in the top lane for an early lead, but that didn't last very long. The teams settled into a bit of a stalemate in the mid game before NiP showed some misplaced aggression near the 28-minute mark with an overextension, losing three members and a Baron in the process. NiP didn't simply lie down and give up, however. Mid laner Nagne's Taliyah stole the second Baron at 35 minutes to give the team a new lease on life. While it prolonged the game as long as possible, Fnatic mid laner Rasmus "Caps" Winther's Syndra simply put out far too much damage to handle, leading to the 41-minute win to secure the series sweep.
Ninjas in Pyjamas and Fnatic will both hit the Rift again next Thursday, with the Ninjas looking to bounce back against Misfits at 11 a.m. ET and Fnatic taking on G2 Esports in what is sure to be an exciting tilt at 2 p.m. ET.