Fire Base: A Trip Back to Nostalgia
Once upon a time, a Swedish team called Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) called Nuke home, forcing other teams to ban the map outright or to prepare an intricate set of counter-strategies to get a win on that map.
With Valve bringing back Nuke into the competitive map rotation, we’re revisiting some of the most epic matches played on the nuclear silo turned gun range. As NiP dominated on Nuke, this will also serve as a nostalgic trip down the European team’s dominance in the 2013-2014 season.
ESEA Europe: NiP versus VeryGames (February 2013)
For the casual and the professional player alike, Nuke stands as a testament to the strength of the Counter-Terrorist side on this map. With its dark colors, coarse textures and its physical architecture, it is a place where the dynamic setups and the methodical rotations of the defensive side are rewarded with double-digit scorelines, allowing them to breathe well when they switch to the attacking side of the map.
Conversely, it is also a monument to the creativity and tactical depth of the players who play on the Terrorist side: Anything beyond three round wins on the T-side of Nuke is considered to be a miracle and most of the time, it turns out to be the game-breaking round on the map.
Back in 2013, the Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) were routinely hammering enemies into submission as a part of their bid to become the best CS:GO team in the world. Almost no one could stop NiP in their tracks…until French side VeryGames started to challenge them at big LAN events.
After 29 rounds of action, one team continued on their quest, while the other represented the beginning of a new era in CS:GO.
SLTV StarSeries Finals: Virtus.Pro versus NiP (April 2013)
Who can challenge the claim of having the longest winning streak in the history of the game? Apparently, the old Russian VP wanted to have a hand at ending that streak as they played the Ninjas on their home map.
This one is short and sweet in comparison to the other Nuke matches on this list. 26 rounds and tons of good planning resulting in one defining moment in the history of CS:GO.
One for the history books.
ESEA LAN 13: NiP versus VeryGames (May 2013)
As part of their personal mission to keep themselves at the top of the CS:GO ecosystem, the Ninjas once again played French team VeryGames on their home map, Nuke.
This match goes the full 30 rounds, with lots of action that will keep everyone on their seats until the very end!
Dreamhack Winter 2014: NiP vs. Virtus.Pro (December 2014)
If there is a game that stands beyond belief and sounds so apocryphal that it should have never happened in the first place, then this semi-final match between Virtus.Pro and Ninjas in Pyjamas should be a good example.
Going double overtime, this is one of the biggest games that have been played on the old Nuke.
Can Ninjas in Pyjamas reclaim their seat at the top of CS:GO with the reintroduction of Nuke or will the new T-side difference be a factor in the team’s recent slump? Whatever the answer, we’re excited to have one of the most dynamic maps back into the competitive scene.
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