Mia “aiM” Cooper, UK CS’s local hero, made history at ESL Impact Season 7 Dallas Finals after she qualified for the playoffs stage, marking the first time a UK player has achieved this feat.
NiP first entered Impact in Season 2, but it took until the sixth season for them to make a first LAN appearance, qualifying for the LAN finals in Stockholm. This was similarly the first time a UK CS player had qualified for ESL Impact play-offs.
Unfortunately, their time in Stockholm wasn’t as fruitful as they had hoped after NIP Impact failed to make it out of the group stage with two losses to BIG EQUIPA.
With vengeance on their mind, NIP Impact sought to build upon their previous placements as they rocketed their way through the online season, placing first in Group B and automatically qualifying for the Finals in Dallas. A big reason for qualification was the breakout season from Kiara “Qiyarah” Janssen, who tore up the regular season with an astounding 1.30 HLTV rating. This mimicked her twin, Naomi “Nayomy” Janssen, from last season, who posted an outlandish 1.37 HLTV rating in the regular season.
Therefore, coming into the Season 7 Finals, the “Twinjas” had been unlocked and were looking to push NIP to new heights.
The opening game in Group B, known as the” group of death”, was against MIBR. The fresh Brazilian squad was coming out of their regional scene as second best to FURIA fe after losing to their main rivals and looking shaky against other teams in the group stages.
Despite this team brimming with experience, the Brazilian side did not step up to the plate as they looked extremely flimsy throughout the whole BO1. Ending the first half 8-4 up, NIP Impact looked like a well-oiled machine as every single player was within 2 kills of each other. Winning four in a row at the start of the second half, MIBR put up a last-ditch effort that ultimately wasn’t enough as aiM topped the scoreboard with a 1.25 HLTV rating in their first LAN win.
Things only ramped up from here as NIP Impact faced off against Imperial Valkyries, the six-time undefeated ESL Impact champions. This was no normal match as Ksenia “vilga” Kluenkova, the IGL of NIP Impact, would be facing off against her old team, whom she had won four ESL Impact Finals previously with.
Imperial Valkyries came out of the gates swinging with Zainab “zAAz” Turkie at the helm as they dominated the first half with an 8-4 scoreline. Despite a lot of the rounds being excruciatingly close and clutches coming down to slim margins, Imperial had stretched out a lead.
Nayomy hit the ground running in the second half with a 1v2 4k, and this set NIP off in motion. Winning seven rounds in a row, NIP Impact were looking to stamp their ticket to the playoffs.
Banana is CLOSED 🍌❌@NIPCS #ESLImpact pic.twitter.com/kuHTpWixW0
— ESL Impact (@ESLImpact) May 22, 2025
With splatters of individual brilliance from Victoria “tory” Kazieva, Imperial did close the gap slightly, but as NIP won a low buy round to put themselves on series point, the writing was on the wall.
This was the second time in ESL Impact history that Imperial had lost a game at the LAN finals, the first being at ESL Impact Season 4 Finals against Fluxo in the group stage. NIP Impact had done what most would call impossible and had not only challenged the Queens of Counter-Strike, but toppled the monarchy.
Not only did aiM have another great performance with a 1.20 HLTV rating, but this was when the Twinjas really rose up to the occasion. The Dutch duo continued their strong form from the online stage as they both put up star-studded performances against the best in the world on LAN. This is especially impressive for Nayomy, who stumbled at the Season 6 Finals, with a disappointing 0.88 HLTV rating on her ESL Impact LAN debut.
aiM after beating Imperial Valkyries | Credit: Rachel Mathews & ESL
NIP Impact’s progress in beating the reigning champions and qualifying for the semi-finals at ESL Impact Season 7 Finals marked a significant achievement, not only for the team but also for UK representation. For the first time in three years, a UK player had qualified for an ESL Impact Finals semi-finals.
Similar to William “mezii” Merriman on the big stage, aiM paves the way and serves as a beacon of inspiration for girls in an underrepresented scene, with her accomplishments sure to motivate aspiring players.
Unfortunately, once in the playoffs, NIP Impact fell short of playing on the IEM Dallas stage in the Grand Finals as they lost to North American team Supernova Comets, who would lose 1-2 to FURIA in a close grand final matchup.
Dallas comes to an end and I’m so proud of what we achieved together as a team. It feels bitter sweet knowing we could’ve played on the main stage but we’re still a young team and we shouldn’t be disappointed with our result.
aiM on X
Understandably, aiM expressed her devastation on social media after this loss, especially considering they had just beaten Imperial Valkyries. But it is clear that despite missing out on playing in their first Grand Finals, NIP Impact are on a trajectory locked onto greatness. With clear progression throughout the last three seasons, it is only a matter of time until they reap the rewards of their efforts.
aiM doesn’t lift the ESL Impact trophy this time, but has taken one step closer | Credit: Rachel Mathews & ESL
