Gentle Mates knock NIP out of PGL Masters Bucharest

Gentle Mates kept their tournament hopes alive by eliminating Ninjas in Pyjamas in a three-map lower-bracket series at PGL Masters Bucharest on October 28, 2025 (Inferno 13–9, Train 9–13, Ancient 13–10). NIP exit the event in last place after earlier losses to HEROIC and SAW. 

The series turned into a personal duel between NIP’s rising rifler Kacper “xKacpersky” Gabara and the Spanish lineup. Despite two pistol-round 4Ks and a team-high 103 ADR on the decider, xKacpersky couldn’t drag NIP over the line; he closed Bucharest as NIP’s only player above a 1.00 K/D and a 1.14 rating overall. 

NIP’s lead-up was turbulent. The team had considered fielding academy AWPer Tim “susp” Ångström while in-game leader Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer awaited the birth of his child, and they arrived without time to practice with coach Richard “Xizt” Landström. Snappi ultimately made it to Bucharest and played, but the Ninjas still faltered, with multiple 5v3s slipping away and Artem “r1nkle” Moroz’s recent dip (0.95 rating over the last three months) persisting. 

What they said

After the elimination, Snappi tried to frame the result as a lesson ahead of the Major: “It’s a good reality check for the Major,” he admitted, adding that even with limited full-lineup practice, NIP “should have performed better.” 

On the other side, Gentle Mates’ captain Alejandro “alex” Masanet has stressed throughout the fall that the team is taking things step by step rather than obsessing over rankings: “We are not focusing on the ranking, we are focusing game by game… these kinds of games are helping us to get where we want to be.” 

How we got here (related results & context)

SAW pushed NIP to the brink the day prior with a 2–1 win (Ancient 13–5, Nuke 10–13, Train 16–14), dropping the Ninjas into the 0–2 pool before Gentle Mates finished the job. 

HEROIC reached playoffs from the 2–0 pool earlier the same day, underscoring the group’s difficulty. 

paiN clinched a playoff berth with a 2–0 over B8 as the bracket took shape around NIP’s exit.