Aurora defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas 2:0 in the Group A elimination match and remained alive at Thunderpick World Championship 2026. Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın led the series with a 1.65 Rating 3.0 as Aurora won Cache 13:9 and Dust2 13:7.
Ninjas in Pyjamas are eliminated from the tournament after losing both of their Group A series.
Tournament context
Thunderpick World Championship 2026 is played with a GSL Bo3 group stage, where two teams from each group advance to the playoffs.
Aurora entered the elimination match after losing 0:2 to 9z in the opening round. Ninjas in Pyjamas also dropped into the lower side of Group A following a 0:2 defeat against Falcons.
That made the head-to-head a direct elimination series, with the winner advancing to the Group A decider and the loser leaving the tournament.
How the match unfolded — Aurora vs Ninjas in Pyjamas
Series score: 2:0 in favor of Aurora
- Cache (pick Ninjas in Pyjamas) — 13:9 in favor of Aurora
Aurora took a 7:5 lead in the first half despite playing on the map selected by NIP. They remained ahead after the side switch, winning six of the next ten rounds to close Cache 13:9. - Dust2 (pick Aurora) — 13:7 in favor of Aurora
Aurora created a much larger advantage on their own map pick, taking a 9:3 lead into halftime. The teams split the second half 4:4, allowing Aurora to close the series without requiring Nuke.
Player of the Match — Ali “Wicadia” Haydar Yalçın
- K–D: 45–25
- ADR: 101.5
- KAST: 81.0%
- Rating 3.0: 1.65
Key contribution: Wicadia finished with a +20 kill differential and the highest Rating 3.0 of the series.
Ismailcan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş followed with a 36–23 K–D, 103.8 ADR and a 1.41 Rating 3.0, while Özgür “woxic” Eker finished at 1.30.
Karim “Krimbo” Moussa was the highest-rated NIP player with a 1.00 Rating 3.0. The remaining four players all finished below 1.00.
VRS results
- Aurora — +15 pt → 1,830 pt, #5 → #5
Aurora gained 15 VRS points and remained in fifth place. - Ninjas in Pyjamas — -6 pt → 1,496 pt, #16 → #17
NIP lost six points and dropped one position in the global VRS.
What’s next?
Aurora advance to the Group A decider, where they will face the loser of the 9z vs Falcons winners’ match for a place in the playoffs.
Ninjas in Pyjamas leave Thunderpick World Championship 2026 after consecutive losses to Falcons and Aurora.
Match summary
Aurora recovered from their opening loss to 9z with a clean 2:0 victory over Ninjas in Pyjamas. They took the opponent pick Cache 13:9 before controlling Dust2 13:7 to keep their tournament run alive.
Wicadia was the standout player with a 1.65 Rating 3.0 and 101.5 ADR, while Aurora gained 15 VRS points and advanced to the Group A decider.
