FaZe Clan Katowice 2022The IEM event in Katowice has dominated the headlines in the eSports scene in recent days. Especially for eSports bookmakers, CS:GO betting has once proved to be a revenue generator. The first major event is history, with a thoroughly surprising outcome. FaZe Clan took the title for the first time. At the tenth attempt, the team finally managed to play the competition into the ground.
Before the IEM, FaZe Clan belonged to the extended circle of favorites, but was not considered a top candidate for victory. A look at the CS:GO betting odds shows that the legendary team Natus Vincere was considered the top favorite. Natus Vincere ultimately had to settle for fourth place in Poland.
The impressive way through the preliminary round
It was already apparent in the preliminary round that the FaZe eSport Clan was bent on victory. In the first two matches, the team maintained the upper hand against Team Liquid and against Fnatic. In the third match, it can be the top match against the Russians of Natus Vincere. In the match FaZe Clan suffered the only defeat in the days of Katowice, but eventually still qualified for the playoffs.
In the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, the eventual tournament winners were absolutely dominant. FaZe Clan eliminated Gambit and Heroic from the competition.
In the parallel strand, G2 Esports kept the upper hand in the semifinals after a huge fight against Nature Vincere.
FaZe vs. G2 Esports – the final
The final was then a real duel of the giants. The result of 3:0 for the FaZe Clan may sound clear, but the game was a battle on a knife edge. On the second map, the Mirage, the teams fought a crazy 50-round duel on equal terms.
In the end, it was the FaZe Clan that took the big victory, which was rewarded with a proud prize money of 400,000 US dollars.
IEM in Katowice: A success all along the line
The organizers went into the IEM with a bit of mixed feelings after the Corona pandemic. In retrospect, the tournament in Katowice confirmed its exceptional position in the CS:GO calendar, although no records were broken in Poland this year. The final between FaZe and G2 Esports was watched by about 1.1 million fans in front of the screens. The popularity was thus minimally lower than in the previous record year 2019.
Looking at the difficult preparation and marketing phase, the IEM Katowice can be seen as a success all along the line. Until a few weeks before the start, it was not at all clear whether the event could be played in the planned form.
This is how the CS:GO season continues
With the victory in Katowice, the Players from the FaZe team have jumped to the first place in the CS:GO Counter Strike world ranking. They are the hunted in the coming weeks and months. The next IEM tournament will be played in Dallas between May 31 and June 5. The event is not quite as well known as the IEM in Poland, but there will still be top-class matches.
Before that, starting on March 9, the ESL Pro League Season will be played, followed by the BLAST World Final, where 823,000 US dollars in prize money will be at stake.
