Natus Vincere continue their confident run at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 — in the upper-bracket final, the Ukrainian organization defeated Ninjas in Pyjamas 2:0. With this victory, NAVI became the first team to secure a spot in the grand final, while Ninjas in Pyjamas will now have to fight for survival in the lower bracket.
TOURNAMENT CONTEXT
StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 is one of the key tournaments of the autumn season, providing a direct path to the grand final through the upper bracket. For Natus Vincere, the victory means rest before the decisive series as well as an advantage in preparation. Ninjas in Pyjamas, however, now face a difficult “survival” path in the lower bracket.
MATCH TIMELINE
- Nuke (Ninjas in Pyjamas pick) — 13:9 for Natus Vincere
Although Ninjas in Pyjamas picked Nuke, it was Natus Vincere who looked more structured. w0nderful dominated with the AWP (22–13, rating 1.77), while b1t displayed stability in key duels. Ninjas in Pyjamas leader Snappi tried to keep the game under control (24–14, rating 1.32), but the poor performance of sjush and xKaspersky became the decisive factor.
- Inferno (Natus Vincere pick) — 13:7 for Natus Vincere
The second map was even more telling. b1t (22–11, ADR 104.5, rating 1.66) shut down Ninjas in Pyjamas in most clutches, while iM added aggression on the entries. Despite a decent showing from ewjerkz (20–15), the rest of Ninjas in Pyjamas players looked too pale. The result — a confident 2:0 and NAVI’s advancement to the grand final.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovskiy was the key figure of the upper-bracket final. His consistency in mid-rounds and numerous multikills allowed NAVI to control the pace of the game from the very start. Thanks to his confident plays, Ninjas in Pyjamas were never able to impose their structure.
- K-D: 40–26 (+14)
- ADR: 97.8
- Rating 3.0: 1.64
- KAST: 78.2%
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Taking this series into account, the 2025 head-to-head record looks like this:
- IEM Cologne 2025: Natus Vincere 2–1 Ninjas in Pyjamas
- StarSeries Fall 2025: Natus Vincere 2–0 Ninjas in Pyjamas
Thus, Natus Vincere lead the head-to-head 3–1, confirming their superiority not only in individual skill but also in psychological confidence.
WHAT AWAITS THE TEAMS
- Natus Vincere
For NAVI, this victory is more than just reaching the final. The organization gains time to recover and thoroughly analyze their future opponent. Importantly, NAVI look stable after restructuring, while young players like makazze are gradually adapting to Tier-1 level. The grand final will be their chance to re-enter the fight for the world’s top 5.
- Ninjas in Pyjamas
The defeat was a serious blow for Ninjas in Pyjamas, who entered the match as one of the most disciplined teams of the tournament. Now they must fight in the lower bracket, where opponents like FaZe or other formidable squads may await. For Ninjas in Pyjamas, this tournament is an opportunity to secure a spot in the world’s top 20, but to achieve this, they must show character in decisive matches.
ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION
Our pre-match forecast predicted a close battle and a three-map series. However, NAVI exceeded expectations, closing the match 2:0. This shows that the organization is quickly finding balance after the summer changes and that key players are regaining their individual form.
For Ninjas in Pyjamas, this result is a signal that the current structure still requires adjustments. Problems in clutch situations and inconsistent form of several players became the main reasons for failure. However, their tournament run is not over yet, and now comes the real test of their ability to perform under maximum pressure.
