The group stage at IEM Katowice has come to an end and so has mousesports’ participation in this year’s iteration of the CS:GO tournament.
100 Thieves rise from the dead at IEM Katowice
The Australian roster of 100 Thieves was the story of the final group stage day. They played with their backs against the wall not once, but twice, and got out of the gutter both times.
Evil Geniuses were the first obstacle in front of the Thieves. The Americans stole Inferno 16-12 with an impeccable offense to go up in the series but looked complacent on Nuke, which allowed their opponents to knot it up at 1-1. Offense was the answer once more on Dust2, but it was 100 Thieves’ attacking game that prevailed this time, putting an end to EG’s tournament.
Mousesports, who had smashed MAD Lions earlier on the day, awaited 100 Thieves in the Group B lower final. The team from down under hadn’t learned its lessons and picked Inferno again, which it lost again. Mouz weren’t going to be left behind in this game of veto madness and left the same maps 100 Thieves beat EG on as the other two maps.
Whatever strategy that decision may have had behind it, it came undone. The Australians weren’t bothered with the reverse order of the maps and won both Dust2 and Nuke to send another one of the favorites packing their luggage.
The fight for survival in Group A was equally fierce. The lower bracket semifinals had already been played on Wednesday, so that left only the final for Thursday. With Natus Vincere and FaZe Clan on the opposite sides of the server, no complaints could be filed on that account.
The two titans of the game exchanged heavy beatings on Nuke and Dust2 and it was down to Inferno to settle the winner. Na’Vi established control first with nine rounds in a row in the first half. Their 9-3 lead eventually became a 12-6 advantage in the second half. A FaZe run of six straight leveled up the field but the CIS squad proved more clutch in the dying moments of the game to clinch a 16-14 win and a spot in the playoffs.
The upper finals failed to bring the same intensity. Astralis and G2 were more than comfortable on the server vs. Fnatic and Liquid, respectively, as both recorded easy 2-0 victories. This isn’t the end for the losers, though, it just means they’ll enter the playoffs at an earlier point.
Speaking of the playoffs, here’s how the quarterfinals shaped up:
- Team Liquid – Natus Vincere
- Fnatic – 100 Thieves
Both games will be played today at the Spodek Arena. The winner of match No. 1 will play Astralis in the semi-finals, while winner No. 2 will get G2. The IEM Katowice semi-finals will take place on Saturday, with the Grand Final set for Sunday.
