The IEM Katowice 2024 Group Stage is underway, with sixteen teams duking it out to make it to the famous Spodek Arena when the Playoffs begin in a few days’ time. It’s been another hectic day of action, and we’re taking a look at some of the highlights so far.
ENCE put Vitality to the sword
Credit: IEM on X.
The upsets at IEM Katowice 2024 just keep on coming, as ENCE continue to defy all expectations. With Vitality first up in the IEM Katowice 2024 Group Stage, it would’ve been easy to count out ENCE’s chances before a bullet was fired on the server. However, gla1ve’s resurgence, combined with a hades fragging masterclass, meant Vitality had to settle for a humbling 2:1 defeat.
Despite the wins, we don’t even know just how good ENCE are yet. Is this an extended honeymoon for the team, or legitimate results that can be sustained for a period of time? With G2 up next, it’ll be the next big test for ENCE.
m0NESY leads the way for G2
Credit: IEM on X.
G2 were spared blushes in their 2:1 win over Heroic, after m0NESY put on possibly the best individual series from any player in competitive CS2 so far. As defending champions, G2 went into the Heroic clash as favorites. In the end, it was only m0NESY going 90-41 across the three maps that got G2 over the line. We’ll be shocked if we see a better series from any player all tournament.
Heading into 2024, m0NESY should prove to be the biggest competitor to ZywOo’s claim as the best CS2 player in the world. There was no statement quite like this performance. Still, it can’t all be down to m0NESY all the time. With a resurgent ENCE up next, the rest of G2 need to wake up if they’re going to reclaim their Katowice crown.
Spirit prove they belong
Credit: IEM on X.
If there was any doubt about this Spirit roster’s ability to swing with the big hitters of Tier 1 Counter-Strike, they should now be totally alleviated after today’s matchup. Spirit took down NAVI 2:1, with donk once again leading the way, showing why he’s the best prodigy in the game right now. He showed no drop-off against top-tier opposition, only offering more questions about how high his ceiling truly is.
Naturally, donk will take a lot of credit, but this was a team effort. Among the underappreciated on Spirit’s roster is zont1x, an 18-year-old talent with sky-high potential himself. If even this reinvigorated NAVI struggled with Spirit at IEM Katowice 2024, who knows how far they can go.
We’ve run through the highlights, but here is the full set of results from today’s action at IEM Katowice 2024:
- Vitality 1:2 ENCE
- Complexity 2:0 Apeks
- NAVI 1:2 Spirit
- FaZe 2:0 Rebels
- G2 2:1 Heroic
- Falcons 0:2 Eternal Fire
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