Comebacks of G2 Esports and FaZe Clan, failure of Team Spirit. Results of the group stage of IEM Cologne 2024 and predictions for the playoffs
As expected, IEM Cologne 2024 has already become one of the most interesting tournaments of this year from the group stage. It all started with a sensational failure of Team Spirit, and ended with the most beautiful match of the whole year, where FaZe Clan managed to make a historic comeback from a score of 1:11 against Team Liquid. However, the most important spectacle awaits us only ahead, at the playoff stage. LANXESS arena is one of the best places on the planet, where the largest LAN Counter-Strike events are held. The venue accommodates more than 20 thousand fans, and the intensity of passions is off the charts; over the years, the stadium has seen tears, screams and beautiful stories of champions. This year, MOUZ, G2 Esports, SAW, FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere and Team Vitality will play in the IEM Cologne 2024 playoffs. In this article, we will discuss the past group stage and share our predictions for the decisive stage of the championship.
The main disappointments of the IEM Cologne 2024 group stage
This year, the main disappointments at IEM Cologne 2024 were the CIS teams. If Virtus.pro did not really have a chance to win, and their maximum was expected to be a playoff, then Team Spirit’s exit in last place was a real sensation. The team was the main favorite to win the championship, but ended it losing to The Mongolz and taking only a few rounds against G2 Esports. It is difficult to call this failure the end of Team Spirit, as a favorite in all tournaments, but for Virtus.pro it was definitely an alarm bell. The team looked extremely bad and lost to Complexity and Falcons. There is no solution to all the team’s problems yet, and perhaps we are in for another reshuffle in VP.
IEM Cologne 2024 playoff preview
SAW's success - an accident or a pattern?
The biggest surprise of both the Play-In and the group stage of IEM Cologne 2024 was the success of the Portuguese team SAW. While the victories over BIG and The Mongolz were understandable, the unexpected relegation of G2 Esports to the lower bracket, and with a score of 2:0, was a real sensation. Later, SAW defeated The Mongolz again, and in the match for reaching the semi-finals, they were leading against Natus Vincere and had a chance to finish the group in first place. The team looked really strong, but they will not have much of a chance to prove themselves in the arena. Their opponent in the quarter-finals will be FaZe Clan, which has a lot of experience in such matches, and the inexperienced Portuguese simply will not cope with the pressure of the stands and are unlikely to be able to take even one map.
G2 Esports from failure to dominance
After losing to SAW, it became very scary for G2 Esports. As in the case of Team Spirit, the team could face a huge failure. However, everything was decided in a personal meeting of the teams in the lower bracket. In the match against Spirit, G2 showed real dominance and destroyed their opponents, giving up only four rounds over two maps. This result charged the team for the entire IEM Cologne 2024 and meetings with Astralis and paiN no longer caused any problems. G2 Esports easily got out of the lower bracket and became the main favorite of the championship. Meetings with MOUZ and Natus Vincere will be very difficult, but after that, it will be extremely difficult to stop the team in the grand final. G2 Esports has a huge chance to win IEM Cologne for the second year in a row.
The legendary comeback of FaZe Clan
After several failed championships, FaZe Clan apparently finally found the right solutions and were able to start showing their previous level of performance. The team beat Team Liquid, but lost to Team Vitality in a close fight, after which they destroyed Falcons in the lower bracket, and the losers’ final deserves special attention. FaZe Clan met Team Liquid again and according to the first map, it seemed that we would have an identical result to the previous confrontation of these teams. However, on Nuke, the opponents managed to return and take the map in the overtime, and on the decider Mirage, everything hinted at a crushing defeat and another failure of FaZe Clan, but these players are not that simple. Losing 1:11, the team did not lose heart and was able to take the pistol round, which already gave more confidence in the comeback. And even the lost round and the score of 3:12 did not prevent FaZe Clan from completing the return to the server. In overtime, Team Liquid no longer had the strength to resist their charged opponents, and FaZe deservedly advanced to the quarterfinals.
Stable Natus Vincere and Team Vitality
Only two favorites of IEM Cologne 2024 showed a truly stable game, without falling into the lower bracket and uncertain results. Natus Vincere walked over paiN, Astralis, and SAW, and Team Vitality defeated FURIA, FaZe Clan, and MOUZ. However, right now it is impossible to say for sure that these teams are the main favorites in the playoffs. Often, even the most successful group stage does not lead to victory in the tournament, and the same fate may await Natus Vincere and Team Vitality. It will be very difficult for NAVI to cope with the charged G2 Esports, but Vitality should still have no problems with FaZe Clan, who showed a strong-willed comeback, but are still not in the best shape. However, Natus Vincere or G2 Esports will pose big problems in the grand final and we are unlikely to see Team Vitality triumph.
MOUZ – the dark horse of IEM Cologne 2024
The only team from which it is unknown what to expect is MOUZ. Again, it is impossible to draw an exact conclusion about this team, because they seemed to play confidently, but at the most unexpected moment they have difficulties. The team easily led in the first meeting with Falcons, but suddenly gave up their pick, and then could have lost to the outsider. The series with Complexity ended 2:0, but there everything could have come to the third map. The real test was the meeting with Team Vitality, where MOUZ could not provide proper resistance. Considering that the team often faces problems in large stadiums, you should not count on their victory against the confident G2 Esports.
The IEM Cologne 2024 playoffs look very competitive and there is no obvious favorite to win the championship yet. However, after G2 Esports’ stunning run through the lower bracket, it is their victory that is most likely to be believed. But to do this, the team still needs to get through the quarter and semi-finals, and the opponents on this path are extremely tough. G2 are expecting to meet MOUZ and Natus Vincere, and in the grand final, they will meet Team Vitality or FaZe Clan. We will discuss the semi-final stage next time, but for now, let’s decide on the winners of the quarter-finals. In these pairs, G2 Esports and FaZe Clan look stronger, but the outsiders can also surprise.