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We turn our attention to PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, one of the key offline CS2 tournaments of the year. The event brings together 12 top-tier Valve teams and 4 regional qualifier winners, all competing for a $1,250,000 prize pool, with $625,000 going directly to the players.
Today’s focus is on the matchup between Ninjas in Pyjamas and SAW — two teams that currently share a 0–2 record at the event. Both squads are under pressure to deliver, as another loss would end their run in Bucharest. Fans can expect a tense and unpredictable battle as NiP aim to recover their form, while SAW look to capitalize on their momentum after upsetting stronger opponents.
Let’s see which of these teams will manage to stay alive at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025.
How The Bookies View It: NiP Slightly Favoured
Ahead of the upcoming clash at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 between Ninjas in Pyjamas and Gentle Mates, the bookmakers have released their odds, showing a fairly balanced matchup. NiP enter as the slight favourites, with odds of 1.76 for a win, while Gentle Mates sit at 2.03. This suggests a closely contested battle, as both teams are desperate to break their losing streaks and stay alive in the tournament.
NiP form. What result can be expected from NiP
We continue our CS2 tips with analyzing NiP form.
In the first half of the 2023 season, NiP were remembered only for qualifying for the Paris Major 2023 after finishing 7th at European RMR B, as well as finishing in the top 8–11 at the Major itself. The team’s form slightly improved over the course of the season.
Although NiP lost in the Last Chance Qualifiers at Gamers8, they later performed well at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023. They confidently advanced to the Fall Final, defeating such giants as Vitality.
NiP approached IEM Cologne 2023 in full combat readiness. There were no roster changes before the tournament, which clearly played in favor of the Swedish club.
In the first round of the Play-In at IEM Cologne 2023, Ninjas in Pyjamas faced Into The Breach. The match ended in an easy NiP win on Ancient with a score of 16-5.
In the match for a spot in the group stage of IEM Cologne 2023, NiP played against MOUZ. The "mice" outplayed the Swedes in class, allowing them to take only 19 rounds in two maps. The tournament ended for NiP in the top 16.
In the 2024 season, NiP drastically changed their roster, essentially carrying out a full rebuild of the team.
- NiP roster: r1nkle, ewjerkz, sjuush, xKacpersky, Snappi.
At PGL Major Copenhagen 2024: European RMR A, NiP performed poorly — top 16. Things slightly improved in the second half of the year: top 2 at YaLLa Compass 2024, top 4 at FiReLEAGUE Global Final 2023. Among TIR-S tournaments, the best performance was at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups, where NiP managed to beat C9 and FaZe, but stopped at the top 8 after losing to Astralis.
Later, NiP played at BLAST Premier: Fall Showdown 2024 but failed to repeat the success of the previous BLAST tournament, finishing only top 16. They later placed top 28 at ESL Pro League Season 20 and top 16 at CCT Season 2 European Series #13. They also participated in the Thunderpick World Championship 2024, where they finished top 12 — a result that can hardly be called successful.
In the 2025 season, NiP participated in a large number of various qualifying tournaments. Only one of them ended in victory — PGL Astana 2025: European Qualifiers. However, at PGL Astana 2025 itself, NiP managed to reach the playoffs by winning their group with a 3-2 score — this was the Swedish club’s best result in the past 5 months of the 2025 season.
Ninjas in Pyjamas performed quite well at C and B-tier tournaments. The team won Fragadelphia x LVL UP EXPO 2025, placed 3rd–4th at The Proving Grounds Season 1, and finished 2nd at CCT Season 3 European Series #3.
The team also performed successfully at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025. In the upper bracket, NiP claimed victories over OG and parivision but were defeated by NAVI in the Upper Bracket Final. In the Lower Bracket Final, the team beat B8 and advanced to the Grand Final, where they lost to NAVI and finished 2nd in the tournament.
At the PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 tournament, NiP has one loss. They were defeated by HEROIC 2–0, with both maps being relatively decisive: 13–7 on Nuke and 13–10 on Dust2. The second loss for NiP came against SAW, a team considered the underdog. Despite a close match, NiP now find themselves with a 0–2 record at this crucial tournament.
NiP Map Pool
Over the past three months, NiP has shown a varied performance across different CS2 maps. Their strongest map is Train, with a 71.4% win rate, followed by Nuke at 61.5% when picked first and Ancient at 57.1%, highlighting their strength on maps that favor structured strategies and coordinated team play. Overpass and Dust2 have been more challenging, with win rates of 33.3% and 28.6% respectively, while Mirage, often banned first, has brought only 25% success. Inferno has been their weakest map recently, with 0% wins, indicating clear vulnerabilities on this popular competitive map. This map pool suggests that while NiP can dominate on strategic maps like Train and Nuke, they may face difficulties on more dynamic or commonly contested maps.
Gentle Mates form. What result can be expected from Gentle Mates
Gentle Mates in 2025 continued to work on establishing themselves on the international CS2 scene, showing persistence and a willingness to gain experience despite inconsistent results. Throughout the year, the team focused on improving coordination, map control, and tactical play, participating in both online and offline tournaments to test strategies and gain exposure.
- Gentle Mates 2025 roster: mopoz, dav1g, sausol, alex, Martinez
The team’s coaching and support staff help organize practice sessions, analyze opponents, and optimize team rotations. This allows players to better understand map dynamics, coordinate smokes and flashes, and execute strategic plays during matches.
The season started modestly with offline tournaments. In August, Gentle Mates competed at DraculaN #1, finishing 5–6 after a 0:2 loss. Later in the month, at ESL Challenger League Season 50: Europe – Cup #1, they ended 7–8 with another 0:2 result. These tournaments were crucial for building teamwork and identifying weaknesses in communication and strategy.
September brought slightly better results. At Roman Imperium Cup II, Gentle Mates reached the final but lost 1:2, taking second place and $1,760.35. Shortly after, at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025, the team finished 4th after a 1:2 loss in the deciding match, earning $40,000. The Birch Cup 2025 didn’t go as planned, as the team forfeited their matches, but participation in such events added valuable offline experience.
October saw mixed results. At Galaxy Battle 2025 // Phase 4, Gentle Mates reached 3–4th place after a 0:2 defeat, taking $4,000 in prize money. In ESL Pro League Season 22, they finished 12–14, again with a 0:2 record ($10,500). While the placements were not top-tier, these tournaments provided opportunities to test new strategies and improve team synergy under competitive pressure.
The team’s dynamics are gradually taking shape. Gentle Mates focus on balancing individual skill with teamwork: key players take responsibility for fragging, while others rotate flexibly across maps like Dust2, Mirage, and Nuke, supporting coordinated pushes and retakes. The coaching staff continues to emphasize communication, map control, and timing, helping the team become more consistent in their performances.
At PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, Gentle Mates have lost both of their matches so far. In the first matchup, they faced paiN Gaming and fell 2–0, although both maps were fairly close. Their second defeat came against Legacy, also ending 2–0. This upcoming match will be especially important for the Gentle Mates captain alex, as he will be facing his former team and ex-teammates.
Gentle Mates Map Pool
Over the past three months, Gentle Mates have shown clear preferences and strengths on certain maps in CS2, but it’s important to note that most of these matches were played against far from the strongest opponents. Their most dominant map has been Overpass, boasting a perfect 100% win rate, making it their go-to map in strategic drafts. Ancient has also been strong for the team at 66.7%, followed by Nuke at 61.5% when chosen as First Pick, and Inferno at 54.5%, showing solid performance on these classic maps. However, Train and Mirage have been problematic, with win rates of only 20.0% and 16.7% respectively, highlighting clear weaknesses that stronger opponents could exploit. These stats give some insight into Gentle Mates’ map strengths and vulnerabilities, though the level of competition should be taken into account when assessing their potential against top-tier teams like paiN Gaming.
Head-to-Head History Ninjas in Pyjamas vs Gentle Mates
The last meeting between Ninjas in Pyjamas and Gentle Mates — formerly known as Iberian Soul — took place at Exort The Proving Grounds Season 1 on June 20, 2025. It was a tight best-of-three series where NiP claimed a 2–1 victory. The Swedish roster dominated Nuke (13–6), lost Train (10–13), but closed out the match on Inferno (13–11). This series highlighted how evenly matched the two teams were, adding extra intrigue to their upcoming clash at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025.
Predicted result of the match NiP – Gentle Mates at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025
The upcoming matchup between Ninjas in Pyjamas and Gentle Mates at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 is set to be a crucial elimination match. Both teams currently hold a 0–2 record, meaning the loser will be knocked out of the tournament. With their tournament lives on the line, fans can expect a tense and emotional clash.
According to the bookmakers, NiP enter this series as slight favourites with 1.76 odds, while Gentle Mates stand close behind at 2.03. This reflects how evenly matched these teams are. NiP bring valuable experience and structure, but their recent performances have been inconsistent, and they’ve struggled to close out key rounds. Still, their disciplined play and firepower could give them a small advantage under pressure.
Gentle Mates, on the other hand, continue to develop their style and confidence. Despite recent losses, they’ve shown resilience and solid coordination, especially from their captain alex, who faces his former teammates in this matchup — adding an emotional twist. If Gentle Mates can keep their composure and maintain early-round aggression, they have a real shot at causing an upset.
Given the current form of both teams, this series is likely to go the full three maps. However, NiP’s experience in handling high-pressure situations and their slightly stronger map pool could be the deciding factor. Still, predicting an exact scoreline remains risky — the safest option is to bet on NiP to win.
Prediction: NiP win.
