ENCE face Cloud9 in IEM Dallas final

ENCE will take on Cloud9 in the Grand Final of the Intel Extreme Masters: Dallas, in a clash that pits the number two and number eight teams in the world against one another.

For ENCE, the final marks the next logical step in the team’s progression, after they fell short of the final at the PGL Major Antwerp. In the case of Cloud9, it’s the first major final since the org re-entered Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in April. However, only one team will be walking away with the $100,000 prize.

ENCE

The Finnish org are just weeks removed from their heartbreak at the PGL Major Antwerp, when they fell in the semifinals to NAVI in the semifinals. But here they stand, having bounced back all the way to a major tournament final. Drawn into Group A, they cruised to the upper bracket final, where they would face Antwerp major champions FaZe Clan. Despite dropping the first map, ENCE rallied to beat FaZe and take top seeding from the group, granting them a bye to the semifinals.

There they met FURIA, a team they had not beaten since May 2019. Map one was close, with ENCE IGL Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer pulling off a four-kill plant defense in round 30 to secure Vertigo 16-14. ENCE pulled away on the second map, Nuke, eventually taking it 16-9. The hero of Nuke was Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski, posting a 1.62 rating on the map. Making it even more impressive is that Snax is an event stand-in after rifler Lotan “Spinx” Giladi had to miss the event due to visa issues.

ENCE’s last title of this caliber came in 2018, can they break that drought in Dallas?

Cloud9

Cloud9 CS:GO was shelved in March 2021 after the org determined that remote work due to COVID would prevent them from building a successful team. It was a sad departure for one of the most storied orgs in the game, and the only North American team to date to win a Major. However, Cloud9 returned in April 2022, signing the roster of Gambit Esports.

The triumphant return was meant to be the PGL Major Antwerp, but the team crashed out in the Legends Stage. So Cloud9 turned their attention to the upcoming IEM event on home soil in Texas.

Unlike ENCE, it has not been an easy road for the boys in blue. After beating Team Liquid in their opening match, Cloud9 dropped into the Group B lower bracket with a loss to FURIA. From there, they took down Ninjas in Pyjamas and Team Liquid, again, to qualify for the knockouts.

They began by reverse sweeping FaZe Clan in the quarterfinals before doing the same to BIG in the semifinals. The biggest threat that Cloud9 pose is that they never give up — they can drop the opening map and still beat you. Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov has been pivotal, staying consistent even when his teammates go cold.

Entering this final, Cloud9 are ready to remind the world that CS:GO runs in the veins of the organization.

The Grand Final of Intel Extreme Masters: Dallas is set to begin at 1700 BST/1800 CEST.

Header: Header: Michael Barera, IEM