Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. Weibo Gaming Prediction on December 31, 2023

Match info

The Demacia Cup 2023 play-offs have arrived. This is essentially the first League of Legends (LoL) competition of the new season where mostly Chinese teams (not only them, though), top and amateur, participate. Weibo Gaming, the top-2 finisher from the Worlds 2023 in November, will play Ninjas in Pyjamas in the quarterfinals. The match will take place in Shanghai on Sunday, December 31 at 1 p.m. local time, using a bo5 format.

Meeting statistics

Let’s try to predict which of the two teams will be more dominant in the opening best-of-five series of the new season and advance to the playoff semifinals. The loser, on the other hand, will have to bid farewell to their chances of winning the Demacia Cup in 2023.

The current form Weibo Gaming

On our side, the match analysis begins with the form of Weibo Gaming. As per every LoL bookmaker, they take their position as favorites in this match. Given that Weibo Gaming made their LPL debut in 2022 (after making their big-stage debut in 2021 in the eSports scene), they can be considered rookies to the League of Legends Pro League. The Chinese team achieved excellent results for a novice. Weibo placed sixth in the LPL Spring 2022 and eighth in the LPL Summer 2022, which means that made the top 8 twice last year.

The Chinese placed in the top 6 at the final competition before LPL Summer 2023, which was the previous LPL Spring split. Given the outstanding roster of Weibo, this is hardly shocking. They went into the championship play-offs with a great deal of confidence. They had a record of 10–6, which enabled them to secure sixth place in the LPL Summer 2023 group stage. Following wins over Ninjas in Pyjamas (3-1) and LNG Esports (3-2), Weibo entered regional finals, which they started from the lower bracket. They beat TES 3-2 and then faced EDward Gaming EDG for a slot at Worlds 2023. It was quite a game in which Weibo shut out opponents with a 3-1 score, earning a place at Worlds 2023. There, Weibo ended the group stage with a record of 2-2. In the decisive match on the Swiss stage, they prevailed over Fnatic after trailing by one card. Weibo Gaming’s playoff rampage in the Worlds 2023 came to an end in the grand final, the last match of the season. They got demolished by T1, who secured their fourth title in the tournament.

The current form of Ninjas in Pyjamas

In this duel, Ninjas in Pyjamas will be the obvious underdog.

NiP advanced to the main stage with the chance to perform admirably there. Before the long segment of the LPL summer season, nobody took them seriously, and the maximum where even we saw them was the top 12. However, now things have changed.

The Swedish team’s first competition was the LPL Spring 2023. They placed in the top 13 there, which isn’t bad for a debut. In LPL Spring 2023, Ninjas in Pyjamas turned to stand-ins following the Top 13. These had an impact on the coaching staff as well as the players. NiP appeared revitalized in the Summer Split and rightfully qualified for the LPL Summer 2023 playoffs, proving that the changes were fruitful. Ninjas in Pyjamas qualified for the playoffs by finishing in the top 10 during the group stage. They even made it past the first round, placing them in the top 8.

The Swedes took part in the NEST 2023 between joining the LPL Summer 2023 and the Demacia Cup 2023. They performed poorly there and finished in the top 8. NiP appear really good at the Demacia Cup in 2023. They won every match thus far and easily advanced past the group stage.

Head-to-head encounters

In the 2023 season, the teams faced off three times. Weibo Gaming was the winner in every game.

Match analytics

It’s difficult to believe that Weibo will lose this game having the wealth of expertise they acquired during Worlds 2023. Without a doubt, NiP is a strong team as well; they easily made it through the group stage in the Demacia Cup 2023. However, a Bo1 matchup versus not-so-much elite teams isn’t as impressive as a full-fledged Bo5 matchup against one of the best two teams in the world in 2023. One map in Ninjas in Pyjamas’ asset against Weibo will be a success on its own.

Bottom line: Weibo will win with a correct score of 3-1. Bookmakers who have the Demacia Cup 2023 market, including 888STARZ, have been launching odds one day at a time, so you’ll have to wait a while to see the figures they prepared for Weibo vs. NiP.

Results of the forecast

Forecast failed. Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. Weibo Gaming 3:2