Results of the Play-In stage of IEM Katowice 2024
On February 2, the first stage of IEM Katowice 2024 ended. According to the results of the Play-In stage, the last eight participants of the group stage were determined.
The invited Team Vitality, FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere, MOUZ, G2 Esports, Complexity, Monte and Team Falcons were joined by GamerLegion, Team Spirit, Heroic, Eternal Fire, Apeks, Rebels, ENCE and Cloud9.
In this article, we will discuss which teams turned out to be the main sensation and were able to surprise not only the audience, but also the favorites. As well as teams that could not overcome the Play-In stage, although they had every chance to go further.
The Disappointments of IEM Katowice 2024 Play-In
The most unexpected result at the end of the Play-In was the departure Virtus.pro. The team, which has been gaining playing form for a long time and consistently performed at the RMR qualifiers and BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2024, was able to take only 9th-12th place, losing at the same time in the match against GamerLegion. The European team has not shown results for a long time, but it coped with one of the strongest teams in the CIS without any problems. Difficulties arose for Virtus.pro and in the match against Cloud 9, although just last week, the roster of Dzhami Jame Ali managed to win a face-to-face meeting. This time Virtus.pro I lost my Overpass without a chance and showed nothing at the decisive Ancient.
No one expected the departure of Astralis either. Nicolai device Reedtz’s team lost all their matches and promptly left the championship in Poland. In both meetings, the team was the undisputed favorite, but at IEM Katowice 2024, the Danish team failed to win even one card, although the confrontation with Heroic in the bo1 format was very close – the match at Mirage ended with a score of 11:13.
BetBoom Team and FURIA Esports also failed to show anything. But the teams found themselves in completely opposite situations. BB Team was really unlucky with the grid: in the opening match they met with one of the favorites of Play-In – Eternal Fire. The Turkish team destroyed the wards of Vladislav nafany Gorshkov with a score of 13:1. And in the lower bracket, the team had to face Cloud9, who sensationally lost to the Rebels. In the CIS derby, the BetBoom Team had few chances, but they clung to the match as much as possible, they even managed to win one map.
FURIA lost to not the most dangerous opponents. The Brazilian five did not cope with TheMongolz and Apeks. Gabriel’s FalleN Toledo team was obviously not a favorite of IEM Katowice 2024, but it was possible to pass the Play-In stage.
BIG failed as expected. The German team continues to lose ground after failing to qualify for RMR. The latest results of the club hint at the expected changes and this time they may turn out to be drastic: perhaps the club will have to lose one of the main players of the roster – Johannes tabseN Wodarz definitely wants to win, but he hardly wants to give a chance and time to another BIG squad.
The main sensations of IEM Katowice 2024 Play-In
The most important surprise of the Play-In was the successful performance of the Polish team Rebels. There are no big names in its composition and the club has not appeared at other major tournaments. But the team managed to prevail over Cloud9 and even advance to the group stage. Many consider the victory over Kirill Boombl4 Mikhailov’s team to be a coincidence and the result of the opponent’s mistakes, but after it, Rebels was able to take advantage of the presented opportunity and beat M80 in the match for the slot. It is not worth waiting for a good performance from the team in the main stage of IEM Katowice 2024, but for these players it is already a huge achievement and an opportunity to play with the best teams at one of the most important tournaments with the support of the home audience.
The passage of GamerLegion and Apeks at IEM Katowice 2024 is not such a loud sensation, but it is very surprising against the background of the list of participants in the Play-In. Both bands after a phenomenal performance on BLAST.TV Parus Major 2023 has lost some of the key players and they do not always manage to perform at the same high level as before. However, GamerLegion managed to sensationally beat Virtus.pro which ultimately did not allow the famous club to enter the main stage. In the case of Apeks, the situation turned out to be simpler: after a dry defeat by Team Spirit with a score of 0:13, they had to face FURIA Esports and BIG, who are clearly not in the best shape.
The most interesting matches at IEM Katowice 2024 are just beginning. After all, the main favorites are joining the battle for $1 million. But the Play-In teams have already shown that they are ready to fight and there will clearly be no easy walk for any of the invited teams at the tournament. The Katowice Championship can bring many more sensations and become a disappointment for many teams that go to it in order to win a trophy.