Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2024: Highlights and Results
radoslaw-davidovic
The first major tournament of 2024, Intel Extreme Masters Katowice, has just concluded, and the winner has received three invitations to other major tournaments, $400,000, and, of course, 3000 BLAST Premier points. Who is this winner, and how did they achieve victory?
And so, the suspense builds… who among the legendary players could make a comeback to the game? Stay tuned to find out!
In article you will find:
Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2024: Teams, Stages, and Awards
IEM Katowice 2024 is one of the biggest tournaments of the year. It took place in Katowice, Poland, from January 31 to February 11, 2024. The main prize of this tournament is not only a large cash prize of $1,000,000 but also three tickets to the next major tournaments, IEM Cologne 2024, BLAST Premier World Final, and Esports World Cup 2024.
And that’s not all. The winning team also received an additional 3000 Blast Premier points, which is a very significant indicator since such an amount can immediately raise you from a bad place almost to the top.
Now that we’ve covered the prizes, what about the tournament structure? It’s simple here. Eight teams that got to the tournament by invitation or by the leaderboard went to the Group Stage. The other 16 teams were forced to compete for a place, which is why invitations and blast premier points are so important.
Only eight will remain among the 16 teams competing in the first Play-in Stage. Therefore, this stage should not be underestimated.
Here are the results of the Play-in Stage:
Group Stage
The remaining teams were divided into two groups of eight, following the established format. Unfortunately, none of the teams that left the tournament at this stage received any Blast Premier points. And it is ridiculous to expect even a small cash prize for teams of this level.
Here are the teams seeded into the Group Stage.
Group A
Out of 8 teams, only three managed to advance to the Playoffs. Team Spirit was the first team to do so, a true revelation at this tournament. They displayed incredible gameplay, demonstrating excellent tactical skills and sharpshooting. They defeated teams like Natus Vincere, Complexity, and even FaZe Clan.
The coach of Team Spirit plays a very interesting role. He would take pauses after each unclear round, even if the round was won. Under his leadership, the team acts very clearly and deliberately. It is also impossible not to notice how well Team Spirit player Danil “donk” Kryshkovets plays. The 17-year-old has the highest KD in the entire tournament, which speaks to his skill and understanding of the game.
Of course, the fan-favorite FaZe Clan also made it to the Play-in Stage. However, they faced weaker opponents on their way, such as Rebels Gaming and Eternal Fire. In the final of Group A, FaZe faced Team Spirit and lost the match but still managed to advance to the Play-in Stage.
The third team that had the most difficult path was Team Falcons. After losing in the upper bracket of Group A, they fought for their lives in the lower bracket. They managed to do this incredibly well, defeating all of their opponents in each life-or-death match.
Let’s move on to Group B.
Group B
Group B’s victors emerged: MOUZ, ENCE, and G2 Esports, who qualified through the lower bracket.
MOUZ displayed excellent gameplay, defeating their first opponent, Cloud9, with a 2:1 score. They then faced GamerLegion and secured another victory with a 2:0 score. In the final of Group B, MOUZ faced a strong opponent in ENCE, but they easily handled them, securing a spot in the Semifinals, just like Team Spirit did in Group A.
ENCE also made it to the Playoffs, but their journey was not as easy as MOUZ’s. They faced G2 Esports and won 2:0, followed by a 2:1 victory over Team Vitality. G2 Esports had a tough journey to the Playoffs. They lost to ENCE but managed to win all their other matches in the lower bracket to claim the last spot in the Playoffs.
Now, we move on to the Quarterfinals of this tournament.
Quarterfinals
In the Quarterfinals, all matches are played in a best-of-three format. Each team that leaves the tournament at this stage receives $40,000 and 500 Blast Premier points.
ENCE vs Team Falcons
Despite ENCE’s strong showing in the Group Stage, Falcons proved to be a formidable obstacle they could not overcome.
On the first map, Mirage, Falcons showcased their full potential. Starting as terrorists, they played aggressively, not waiting for specific timings but constantly trying to engage in close-quarters combat. Mohammad ‘BOROS’ Malhas had a standout performance, securing an ACE and winning a crucial 1vs2 round. Falcons confidently won the first map 13:5.
However, the second map was not as joyous for them. ENCE players finally came into their own, which was no surprise since Overpass was their pick. The Polish team felt incredibly comfortable on the stage, fueled by the enthusiastic crowd support, their signature map, and their opponents’ numerous mistakes.
Thanks to this and a stellar performance from Aleksander “hades” Miskiewicz, they easily took the map 13:9.
Having tied the score 1:1, the teams faced the decisive map, and the chances were extremely even. At the beginning of the map playing on the CT side, hades once again destroyed the opponent with his accurate shooting, making a triple kill in the pistol round.
Thanks to this, ENCE easily won the first round and then the second, but it became more difficult as the opponent had serious equipment. Overall, the confrontation was very difficult, and in the first half, ENCE seemed to be unable to find their game, which resulted in an 8:4 score in favor of Falcons.
The second half was a victory for Falcons, as they were ahead by four rounds. It helped them to win because after switching sides, ENCE got into the game and developed a good strategy against the opponent, but it was not enough to win. With a 13:11 score Falcons won and advanced to the Semifinals.
FaZe Clan vs G2 Esports
The match against G2 proved to be relatively easy for FaZe. From the start of the first map, G2 attempted to make a play, but FaZe, in their signature style, demonstrated their capabilities. Under the excellent leadership of their captain, FaZe gradually turned the tide in their favor, eventually reaching a comfortable 7:5 scoreline playing as terrorists.
The switch to the defense only strengthened the FaZe players, as Inferno is a map where the defense has a greater advantage than the attacking side. And so it came to pass: FaZe confidently took the first map with a 13:9 score and proceeded to their choice of map!
The second map was Ancient, where FaZe felt like a fish in water. They conducted lightning-fast attacks in their usual style, pushing the opponent and not even giving them a few seconds to recover, swiftly taking the first half of the map with a 9:3 score. With such a huge advantage, they naturally won, and without even straining too much, FaZe moved on to the semifinals with a 13:6 score!
The time has come for the Semifinals.
Semifinals
The semi-finals are undoubtedly one of the most captivating stages of the tournament, where the two grand finalists vying for the ultimate prize are decided. Teams eliminated at this juncture are still rewarded with 1200 Blast Premier points and a substantial sum of $80,000.
Team Spirit vs Team Falcons
This meeting was unexpected for many, as many expected Falcons to take at least one map in this meeting, but Spirit steamrolled them! The strength of these players is simply incredible. The pauses that the Spirit coach takes after defeats are especially effective, immediately analyzing the situation and not letting the players get emotional.
Very, very well-coordinated play and incredible skill from Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets helped to win on both maps.
The first map, picked by Falcons, was harder to play, and it was clear that Falcons had some kind of strategy and were better prepared, but thanks to teamwork and incredible shooting skills, Spirit won on Anubis with a 13:8 score.
Then, on Ancient, picked by Spirit, they showed something incredible. Having played the first half of the map with a 9:3 score, they simply morally crushed the opponent. Falcons tried to attack the opponent in the second half of the map, but it was all in vain. Spirit won 13:3 and advanced to the Grand Final.
MOUZ vs FaZe Clan
MOUZ proved to be an easy opponent for FaZe. On the first map, Nuke and FaZe demonstrated their strength and readiness for the Grand Final, winning the map with a 13:3 score. They showed that their attack was an incredibly strong side.
They understand and can play quickly, while many teams are not ready or adapted to this. It was the case with MOUZ. Although the teams had met before, preparing for such strong pressure is incredibly difficult.
The second map should have been more difficult for FaZe, but they didn’t feel it at all in the first half, playing 10:2 on the map picked by the opponent. After switching sides and starting the game on the T side, FaZe had problems. They couldn’t enter positions and plant the bomb properly.
All the time, MOUZ’s defenders did their job and successfully repelled all FaZe’s attacks. Incredibly, they almost made a comeback from a score of 10:2. MOUZ managed to get to 12:11, but one successful attack from FaZe and all hopes for a third map was gone. FaZe confidently advanced to the Grand Final.
Now, let’s move on to the most interesting part of the tournament – the Grand Final.
Grand Final
The Grand Final is the most exciting thing at this tournament. The confrontation of the old school FaZe against the very young and very ambitious Spirit.
At the time of the teams’ meeting, Donk already had incredible statistics at this tournament and was the best in everything.
Here is how the pick & ban stage went:
- FaZe removed Vertigo
- Spirit removed Inferno
- FaZe picked Nuke
- Spirit picked Mirage
- FaZe picked Overpass
- Spirit picked Ancient
- Anubis was left over
Nuke
Spirit started the map strong, successfully defending two attacks from their opponents. However, in the third round, ropz managed to not only defend the bomb against two opponents but also win the first and very important round for his team on this map.
The game was very intense and even, with the teams taking rounds one after another and competing for every inch of the map, not allowing each other to implement their tactical plans. The players were very tense and focused on the game. The first half was very difficult for both teams and ended with a 6:6 score.
After changing sides, FaZe were already on the CT side, and as you know, defending can sometimes be more difficult, especially when you are playing in the Grand Final against a really strong opponent. ropz understood the power of the new Zeus better than anyone and used it to its full potential, which was shown in the 13th round.
Even with such kills and such a good game from ropz, FaZe still lost round after round. The problem was not with tactics or timings. The main problem FaZe faced was the excellent, simply amazing AIM of donk.
Not without effort, Spirit closed the first map with a 13:9 score.
Mirage
The following map was Mirage, picked by Spirit, on which they have a 100% win rate. It is worth noting that FaZe and Spirit have already met at this tournament, where Spirit won 2:0. That match also included Mirage, with a close 13:10 score.
This time, the situation was a bit more tense, but it was decided by just one headshot from sh1ro with the SSG-08.
At the start of the map, FaZe were on the defense and seemed to be doing everything right, but they couldn’t adapt to Spirit’s playstyle, which constantly focused on the MID. By controlling the central part of the map, Spirit always had two directions they could go, made a lot of fake exits, and executed very beautiful opening kills. Overall, they showed a very good game, unlike FaZe.
For some reason, karrigan and broky couldn’t get themselves together. They missed their shots, couldn’t control the recoil properly, or maybe had other problems like low morale or the loss on the first map. It’s unclear what hit these players so hard, but it was visible in their play.
With great effort, the teams were moving more or less evenly, but at some point, Spirit broke away and reached a 12:8 score in their favor.
FaZe managed to win the 21st round, then the 22nd, and then one more. They almost made a comeback. 12:11 in favor of Spirit. In the last decisive round, and Spirit with no money, sh1ro buys the SSG-08 with the last cents and makes an incredibly important first kill. After that, he forces FaZe to attack in a disadvantageous situation. It decided the whole fate of this round. 2:0, and we move on to the third map.
Overpass
Overpass is not a signature map for FaZe, yet it was clear they picked it specifically because Spirit doesn’t play it. Perhaps they wanted to exploit their opponent’s weakness and win on that basis, but something didn’t work out for them.
It is incredibly difficult to describe this map, as it is hard to say it was an even game. FaZe lost two maps and started losing at the beginning of the third. They made mistakes round after round. First, they decided to do a force buy in the second round, then again and again.
Perhaps they wanted to catch their opponent off guard, but nothing good came of it. Spirit and their young player, donk, completely dominated the map. Reaching an absurd 11:1 score, just imagine the tournament’s favorites losing to a 17-year-old boy with an 11:1 score. Of course, FaZe’s morale was at its lowest.
Therefore, Spirit easily enjoyed the victory here.
donk has achieved several new records. Firstly, he is the youngest Intel Extreme Masters Katowice champion. Secondly, he has the highest overall KD ratio in the tournament’s history.
Congratulations to Spirit on their incredible victory at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2024! In the meantime, we invite you to enjoy the tournament highlights we have compiled for you.
Highlights
In an interview, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev stated that he plans to make a comeback.
To Sum Up!
It was an incredibly exciting and unpredictable tournament that brought incredible emotions and new talents to the game. Congratulations to Team Spirit on their victory, and we look forward to new tournaments to experience these emotions again!
Stay with us and always be aware of everything in the world of eSports!
Radosław Davidović is Hellcase’s customer success manager. He enjoys blogging to share his knowledge and experience with customers.