An unexpected triumph for G2 Esports and Stewie2K. Results of IEM Dallas 2024
Tournaments in Counter-Strike are a mysterious thing; you can never predict how this or that event will turn out with interesting results, matches and emotions. Unexpectedly for everyone, IEM Dallas 2024 turned out to be one of the best tournaments in CS2. This was influenced not only by the phenomenal performance of one of the outsiders with stand-in, but also by the atmosphere in the arena, as well as the results of other teams. In this material we will summarize the results of IEM Dallas 2024 and discuss the performance of some teams.
Why did G2 Esports win the stand-in tournament?
The victory of G2 Esports at IEM Dallas 2024 is a truly phenomenal event in the history of Counter-Strike. Their stand-in Jake Stewie2k Yip not only had to return from a long layoff, but also became a suitable replacement for team captain Rasmus HooXi Nielsen. Although the American did not take on the tasks of a leader, in terms of positions he had to adapt to the team. The role of IGL at IEM Dallas 2024 was performed by Nikola NiKo Kovac and did an excellent job, helped by the experience of captaining FaZe Clan in the early days. Jake Stewie2k Yip brought not only a positive atmosphere and additional motivation to the team, but also support from the arena, as he became the only US representative in the playoffs.
G2 Esports’ path to IEM Dallas 2024 has become even more interesting, as the team advanced from the group stage from the lower bracket. It was a long and interesting road, full of difficulties, during which the team only progressed and played even better. Without their usual captain, the team was able to defeat MOUZ, Team Liquid, FaZe Clan, 9z and Team Vitality, and this definitely deserves praise.
It’s impossible not to note the insane performance from the team’s sniper, Ilya m0NESY Osipov truly shone and it was hard to imagine who could stop him. As a result, even Mathieu ZywOo Herbaut failed to do this. The Russian is deservedly one of the best snipers on the planet and has proven it once again.
Vitality – the curse of second place
It’s hard to say what’s happening with Team Vitality. The once strongest team lost the grand final for the second time, being a clear favorite. At ESL Pro League Season 19, she couldn’t cope with MOUZ, where she was simply destroyed, and now she lost to G2 Esports with a stand-in. Until Mathieu ZywOo Herbaut does something phenomenal on the server, he alone is no longer enough. And the team can no longer cope without the usual ZywOo, which destroys everyone in its path. However, IEM Dallas 2024 turned out to be a good tournament for Team Vitality, the team surprisingly handled Team Spirit too easily in the semi-finals, and before the grand final they lost only to 9z in the seeding match, which did not decide much. It’s too early to send the team to reshuffles and ruin its chances for the championship, but it definitely has a lot of work to do. to become the best again.
9z is an outsider who truly surprised
The biggest surprise of IEM Dallas 2024 was the team from South America. 9z has been shining at big tournaments for a long time, but she has not been able to achieve any success. Before the championship, the team did a lot of work and even resorted to the help of a psychologist. 3rd-4th place is already a phenomenal success for such a team, and the opponents they were able to beat in Dallas are some of the best teams in the world. Not only Team Vitality fell at the hands of 9z in the finals of the upper bracket of the group, but also MOUZ and Team Liquid. It will be interesting to follow the team’s success in future tournaments.
Team Spirit is not perfect yet
If we evaluate the latest performances of Team Spirit, the team is still doing well, but in important moments it is always lacking something. This all comes with experience, because they are still one of the youngest teams on the tier-1 scene. Danil donk Kryshkovets was still excellent, and Dmitry sh1ro Sokolov gave out highlights with AWP, which allowed the team to finish the group in first place, beating FlyQuest, Natus Vincere and FaZe Clan. They also approached the semi-finals of IEM Dallas 2024 as favorites, but this did not help them cope with Team Vitality. Both maps went smoothly, but up to a certain point, until their opponents turned the game around with important rounds. Team Spirit is still the favorite in all championships, but there is still room for improvement.
Are FaZe Clan finally broken?
After several successful tournaments and dominance in the world rankings, FaZe Clan are turning into a team that doesn’t do much in the playoffs. Players attribute this to fatigue and burnout due to the busy tournament schedule, and even short vacations do not help them. Most likely, we will only be able to see the team in a competitive state next season, but for now its maximum goal is to reach the playoffs. At IEM Dallas 2024 in the quarterfinals, the team was absolutely unable to oppose G2 Esports, who were motivated to win by the arena and the arrival of Jake Stewie2k Yip.
First playoffs for HEROIC with nicoodoz
HEROIC played with Nico nicoodoz Tamjidi for quite a long time and held several tournaments, but were unable to reach the playoffs with their sniper. And only after replacing him with Abdul degster Gasanov, the team managed to do this with an already kicked player due to visa problems with the team newcomer. HEROIC sensationally knocked out Natus Vincere from IEM Dallas 2024, also with a score of 2:0, but in the playoffs they were unable to show their game. The meeting with Team Vitality went smoothly and without much resistance.
The main disappointments of IEM Dallas 2024
Several teams that claimed high places were eliminated from the group stage of IEM Dallas 2024. The biggest surprise was the failure of MOUZ, who laid claim to their own era. The team lost without a chance to 9z in the debut match, and against G2 Esports they were only able to take one map. Natus Vincere also found themselves in a similar situation, from whom everyone expects good performances after winning PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. Their result turned out to be a little better, but this still did not help them get out of the group. The main hope of North America in the person of Complexity was completely disappointed, which, before IEM Dallas 2024, was able to successfully perform at ESL Pro League Season 19. On home soil, the team took last place, losing to Team Liquid and MOUZ. Virtus.pro started the tournament with confident games against HEROIC and fought well against FaZe Clan, but already in the lower bracket they made a catastrophic mistake and lost to BIG, one of the weakest teams in the championship. After this, coach Dastan dastan Akbaev officially left the team, who will be replaced by Andrey XomA Mironenko from 9 Pandas. We will monitor the results of the team with a new coach, because for now this is still a rather raw squad that needs time to train, and not constant flights to tournaments.
The current competitive season in Counter-Strike 2 is coming to its logical conclusion. Nowadays, success is achieved mainly by teams that were not very active and successful at the beginning, which makes the latest results even more interesting. Championships are becoming more unpredictable and exciting in terms of results. We definitely need more tournaments like IEM Dallas 2024.
As for G2 Esports, their future is unclear. After the long-awaited victory, the question will arise whether they need Rasmus HooXi Nielsen and whether Jake Stewie2k Yip will remain on the team. But one thing is for sure: Ilya m0NESY Osipov is having the best time of his career and is ready to compete for the title of best player of the year, but, as always, he still has room to improve, which means that the results of G2 Esports can become even better.