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IEM Cologne: G2 & Gambit Qualified For Playoffs

So far, Gambit have done justice to their role as favorites at Intel Extreme Masters. Alongside G2 Esports, they’re... Fabio | 10. July 2021

So far, Gambit have done justice to their role as favorites at Intel Extreme Masters. Alongside G2 Esports, they’re in the Upper Bracket Finals and are just one match away from playoffs. While both have already qualified, they can still receive a direct slot in the Semi Finals. In the meantime, we’ve had to wave goodbye to high-profile teams in the form of Complexity and mousesports.

Both have fought valiantly, but ultimately failed to pull through in the Lower Bracket. The mouz players had to enter overtime on the third map versus Team Liquid and were close to sealing the deal. But Liquid came back time and time again, and after four overtimes, they eventually secured the victory themselves. On the first map, Complexity seemed to have the upper hand over Virtus.pro. A quick 16-6 sent them to Dust2, where VP then won in overtime. On Overpass, Complexity got a few round wins in, but left too many CT points on the table. In the end, this cost them the match on a 13-16 scoreline.

Even though Liquid and Virtus.pro continue on in the bracket, they’re standing with their backs against the wall. BIG and the Ninjas in Pyjamas are tough opponents and the Lower Bracket doesn’t hand out second chances anymore. Out of these four teams, only one can actually qualify to the playoffs.

GROUP B: NAVI EN ROUTE TO PLAYOFFS?

In Group B, we haven’t had to say goodbye to anyone just yet. But today, the Lower Bracket openers between Renegades/FURIA and FaZe/Spirit are bound to commence. The Australians’ miracle run might be cut short, even though they displayed incredible prowess going up against OG and even Natus Vincere before. FaZe pulled Astralis through triple overtime and only narrowly lost out in their Best-of-Three series. It’s particularly unfortunate to see them this close to elimination again. On paper, they’re stronger than Team Spirit, but the CIS roster is known for its upset potential. They’ve already brought Heroic to the absolute brink of defeat.

Natus Vincere and Vitality will clash in the Upper Bracket. Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and his men managed to survive the Renegades scare and are better suited than ever to take on Vitality. The Frenchmen’s performance doesn’t really hint at them being able to contend with NaVi. This one match victory will already qualify either one for the playoffs, even though the Upper Bracket Finals will still decide on seeding and a direct invite to the Semi Finals.

The same is true for Astralis and Heroic. In their national derby, they fight for the chance to make Top 6. For the first time, these lineups are facing off on LAN and the conditions couldn’t be better: Heroic have been released from quarantine, Astralis look refreshed on LAN. At least their performance versus FaZe was admirable and they delivered great Counter-Strike action throughout.

The playoffs are getting ever closer. Natus Vincere and Gambit are both moving towards the Semi Finals, which shouldn’t come as a surprise after the most recent tournament results. The rest of the IEM Cologne bracket will show whether these online monsters can actually win offline trophies as well.