It’s here. Counter-Strike returns to Katowice this week as ESL brings back the prestigious, yearly event back to Poland. Unfortunately, last year’s edition of the event was played online due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, this year, we will even be seeing a live crowd back at the Spodek’s, which we didn’t see for the past two years. IEM Katowice is back, folks, and it’s going to be massive this year.

So, as always, I’ll be covering the basics of the tournament, as well as key storylines that will be featured in the event. This is our preview guide to IEM Katowice 2022!

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

IEM Katowice 2022 starts its first stage this Tuesday (15^th), at 10:00 AM UTC. You can check which time the event will start in your area through here, by the way. We’ll be having three matches to open the event, and you’ll be able to follow them through ESL’s main channel and their B and C streams on Twitch.

As for the event format, IEM Katowice 2022 will have three different stages, and feature a total of 24 teams. Below, you can see how the teams were divided. Then, how each stage will work:

1. The Play-In stage: starting on the 15^th, sixteen teams will be heading to IEM Katowice’s first stage. This is a double-elimination bracket, with opening matches being best-of-one series and all following games being BO3s. Top eight teams advance.
2. Group Stage: starting on the 17^th, eight teams qualified from the Play-In stage will join another eight teams who directly qualified for the main event. This stage will see two groups in a double-elimination bracket. All matches are BO3s.
3. Playoffs: after a five-day break, the playoffs start on the 25^th. Teams which finished first in the previous stage will head directly to the semi-finals, while the 2^nd and 3^rd placed teams will play at the quarter-finals. The playoffs are a single-elimination bracket, and the final is set to be a BO5 match.

All stages will be played on LAN, and the playoffs will be played in front of a live audience at the Spodek. As for the rewards, $1.000.000 will be on the line, as well as circuit points for both Pro Tour and BLAST’s Premier leagues.

Now we’ve gone through the tournament details, here are some last-minute news that you might’ve missed before the event.

LAST-MINUTE NEWS

• BIG’s AWPer Florian “syrsoN” Rische has been cleared to compete after a surgery.
• FaZe Clan’s Robin “ropz” Kool won’t be attending the event’s early stages after testing positive for COVID-19. He could still attend the later stages of the event, but until further news, Justin “jks” Savage will be standing-in.
• MOUZ’ Aurimas “Bymas” Pipiras won’t be attending the event due to testing positive for COVID-19. In his place, MOUZ will be fielding their academy player Jon “JDC” de Castro, who just won WePlay Academy Season 3 with MOUZ NXT.
• Complexity will not attend this event due to various players testing positive for COVID-19. Replacing them is Movistar Riders, who comes to the event after finishing 5 – 6^th at ESL Challenger #48.

If we have any more news popping-up in the coming hours, you can be sure that they will be covered here. Now, finally, the storylines!

HOW FAR CAN YOU GO? – ENTROPIQ

For a while now, Entropiq has been quite the threat. The Russian squad led by Aleksey “NickelBack” Trofimov did a lot of damage back in 2021, and they already are a square no team should underestimate. They aren’t quite on the same level as Gambit, Natus Vincere or Virtus.Pro, but for teams like Astralis, FNATIC and Team Liquid, Entropiq is an absolute nightmare.

But here’s the thing: most people don’t realize that. Even after the upsets and rising through the world rankings, Entropiq still is seen like this dangerous underdog. Even now, when most teams realize how strong the duo of Aleksey “El1an” Gusev and Igor “Forester” Bezotecheskiy is.

So, after all the work this roster has put through last year, Katowice is an opportunity to take the next step, and solidify Entropiq’s position as one of the ten best teams in the world. Moreover, this is a chance for Entropiq to leave the shadows of the bigger representatives of the CIS region. Just to be clear, they haven’t shown to be better than the aforementioned three. Instead, it’s a matter of expanding the ‘big three from the CIS region’ to the ‘big four teams from that region everyone should look for’.

FROM THE BOTTOM

If Entropiq really wants to leave a mark here, they will have to fire on all cylinders right from the start. Their first game will see them facing ENCE. The Europeans aren’t on a situation much different than Entropiq, and they are coming to prove themselves, too. This best-of-one alone should be one of the most interesting games from day one of the event, as we see two teams fighting to see which one will truly get a shot at proving themselves.

In any case, if Entropiq wins over ENCE, then they’d probably be facing OG next, and that’s when the real challenge starts. OG is supposed to be a much more competent team, and considering their performance at the Spring Groups with their new captain, beating them will be no easy feat.

Yet, it’s only by breaking through such challenges that Entropiq will become more than just another CIS squad that can pull upsets here and there. IEM Katowice is their opening to show how they’ve developed since the Major, and prove that they deserve a place among the best teams in the world. Scream, “Are we havin’ fun yet?”

[HAVEN’T] BEEN HERE – FNATIC

FNATIC, and legendary player Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson have some history with Katowice. The organization – and the rifler who still plays for them to this day – have won three editions of ESL’s yearly series, and they’re back.

Things are wildly different now, though. For one, FNATIC is now a mostly English squad. For another, this FNATIC roster is completely unproven, and they are coming to this Katowice as underdogs, especially after the last couple of weeks.

In 2022, we first saw FNC heading to Funspark ULTI. There, they got beaten by BIG, and then eliminated by Astralis in a best-of-three that neither team will want to remember. Then, FNATIC headed to Pinnacle Winter Series 1 only to get beaten by Apeks in a BO3, and the British side didn’t win a map in the series. While BIG is a competent opponent, and Apeks isn’t half-bad either, when we remember that this FNC was able to even challenge Gambit in their last series of 2021, these initial results become somewhat disappointing.

NO MORE FIRSTS

So, FNATIC haven’t been great. However, there are a couple of possible explanations for that. First, their AWPer, Owen “smooya” Butterfield could be simply struggling due to personal reasons. The English player moved from England in January, and as said by himself, it takes some time to adjust to a new environment. Smooya was essential for this team earlier successes, so with him having some rough performances, the squad will take a hit.

At the end of the day, smooya’s situation isn’t uncommon. While we don’t know for sure, other players could also been facing similar issues. So, it’s wise to not judge FNATIC too much based on these early results. Instead, let’s look at them as a this team which had some positive and negative results since they added smooya late last year, and are finally coming to a tournament where they will prove themselves.

In Katowice, there won’t be excuses for this roster anymore. This isn’t their first tournament together. It’s not their first LAN together. It’s not the event that will see their first games of 2022, either. This time around, Alexander “ALEX” McMeekin will be showing what his team is capable of. At the very least, they should get back to the level they were at during IEM Winter, but considering their latest games, that isn’t a guarantee. Yet, sloppiness as shown in the matches they faced Astralis and Apeks won’t be excusable. Being eliminated before Katowice’s main event will be a disaster. For every team coming to Katowice this week, the stakes are incredibly hard already, but for FNATIC, they are even higher than usual because here’s the place where they will show to what tier they belong to.

FROM THE PLAY-IN

FNATIC will kick off IEM Katowice on the 15^th as they will face Copenhagen Flames. Winning against the Danes is a must, and if they can’t, things will already get worrisome. If they can win, though, they will be facing NiP, and that’s definitely going to be an interesting match. Do or die.

HOW EXCITING! – G2

G2 is coming to IEM Katowice 2022 and expectations couldn’t be higher for this team. The reason behind that is obvious: this is going to be the first elite LAN for Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov. Also possibly, this could be his first time playing in front of a crowd.

Now, we’ve already been given a little taste of what G2’s new AWPer can do at the Spring Groups, but that’s not enough. After all, it’s on the big stage that the best players build their reputation, and this is m0NESY’s first opportunity to leave a mark. Of course, the pressure is off the roof, but m0NESY would have to face it sooner or later as he’s playing for one of the best teams in the world, and why not do it sooner? Furthermore, Ilya’s performance at the Spring Groups was excellent for such a raw talent, and it should only get better from now on. Coming to Katowice, all eyes will be on the Russian player from G2.

DON’T LET M0NESY STEAL THE SHOW

Now, m0NESY storyline coming to Katowice is incredible. A young talent having the chance to prove himself without any previous tier one experience surely is very interesting. However, G2 has other highlights that deserve the spotlights.

One of these stories certainly is Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen’s. The Finnish in-game leader is finally being given the opportunity to lead a team with proven talent, and after two quiet years, he will need to prove himself. Herewith, his leadership will be brought under the scope in Katowice, and with G2’s expectations being as high as they are, any mistakes being made will certainly be brought up by fans.

Finally, we can’t forget Nikola “NiKo” Kovač either. Differently than Aleksib and m0NESY, he is more than proven in his role. Coming to IEM Katowice 2022, fans will be looking forward to another of his stellar performances on LAN. If Aleksib manages to make the best out of Audric “JACKZ” Jug and Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač, and m0NESY successfully beats expectations, then NiKo and G2 might be in for something beyond just a high placement finish. The pieces are all in place.

RETURNING CHAMPIONS – GAMBIT

The Russian powerhouse led by Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov is heading to Katowice with a single objective: keep the crown. Gambit won IEM Katowice 2021, and it was a mark of their dominance early last year. Now, they’re looking to repeat the same feat.

When you look at Gambit chances, though, this is far from a pipedream. With Natus Vincere looking far from impressive, Gambit chances are considerably higher than they were before BLAST’s Spring Groups. Sure, G2 and Vitality are still around, but for these two, they are coming to this tournament with new rosters. Gambit should have an advantage over them at this moment due to them keeping their team intact. Looking this way into the tournament, you could definitely see Gambit as favorites.

To make matters even better for Gambit, we’ve already seen then playing this year, as they won Funspark ULTI Finals. That event was far smaller than IEM Katowice, of course. But the takeaway from it is that Gambit still is that same threat they were last year. That team that could either destroy their opponents through the sheer individual ability of Abai “HObbit” Hasenov, Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov and Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov. Or overwhelm their opposition with their clinical tactical approach to the game.

MORE THAN JUST CHAMPIONS

Gambit players made pretty clear last year that they weren’t content being the second-best team in the world after Natus Vincere took the throne from them. During that time, Gambit lost a bit of their fire as LANs returned to CSGO. In the last couple of weeks of 2021, though, we saw Gambit slowly recovering their form. Now, with Na’Vi seemingly facing some issues if their performance at BLAST is anything to go by, it could be Gambit’s time to take the throne once more.

And even if Natus Vincere gets to their usual level, Gambit still has more than enough to give them a headache. As long as Gambit keeps working to convert their online form into their LAN performances, this team will keep getting better, and from now onwards, their matches against Na’Vi should only get more disputed. As for other dangerous opponents such as G2, they surely have the firepower, but it’s going to take time for them to reach the team chemistry Gambit has. This alone gives nafany an edge.

Nonetheless, Gambit is coming to Katowice to win their first offline event in front of a crowd. This is the big moment this squad has been waiting for, and it’ll take a lot of effort from any other team to stop them. A gambit, nonetheless, but the chances are good.

JUST ONE LEFT – TEAM LIQUID

Two years ago, Katowice hosted three North American teams in February. One year ago, it was two. Finally, only one team from North America is coming to IEM Katowice 2022. This is, of course, due to Complexity having to drop the event due to circumstances out of their control, but nonetheless, the situation is far from great for American teams.

To make matters worse, Team Liquid is coming to this year’s Katowice with very low expectations. As they have shown during the Spring Groups, this team will take some time before it starts working. There are some great pieces here, such as Joshua “oSee” Ohm, and this team has a promising future. For now, though Liquid will still have to wait until Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella fully recover his form in Counter-Strike, for one.

Yet, there’s always hope. If there’s one place for this team come alive earlier than expected, this place certainly could be Katowice.

BEATING THE ODDS

While chances of this Team Liquid going beyond this event’s group stage are far from great, they are still there. After all, this team still has two excellent players in Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski and Keith “NAF” Markovic. With oSee looking fairly good, it’s easy to see why some might still be hopeful about Liquid’s hopes.

Still, it’s far too soon to consider Liquid a contender. As said before, nitr0 still too much of an unknown at this point, and until he gets both his individual performance and in-game leading back to a decent point, it’s going to be hard to see Liquid competing against the best teams in the world.

If anything, we should definitely see Liquid beating the likes of Astralis and Sprout if they come to face these teams. If they could take down either BIG, or NiP, that would be even better, but’s that already is a kind of bet on this roster. For now, though, it’s wise to have humble expectations for this team and to not pressure them too much just yet. The potential is here but nitr0 needs time before he can unleash it. It’s just not the time. Yet.

TIME TO LOOK GOOD – NATUS VINCERE

Natus Vincere failed to impress at the Spring Groups. They ultimately qualified for the Spring Finals, but for a Major-winning roster that won LANs back-to-back last year, it’s not enough. Their loss to MiBR certainly hurt, of course. However it was losing to NiP in a BO3 that really hurt. Also, their form certainly disappointed the players themselves.

In any case, after that event, some fans are already lowering their expectations for the squad led by Kirill Sergeevich “Boombl4” Mikhailov. It’s definitely too early to start forgetting about what this roster was able to accomplish at their best, sure, but it’s also clear that Na’Vi hasn’t been quite the dominant team they once were.

Nonetheless, judging Natus Vincere so early based in one event is simply wrong. Surely, they didn’t look like themselves during their first showing in 2022. However, that was an online tournament, and admittedly, stakes were far lower than they are in Katowice. Hence, it’s expected that we’ll be seeing a much more competent Natus Vincere this week. One that will remember fans of why they are considered the best Counter-Strike team in the world.

NOTHING BUT THE TOP

Contrary to FNATIC which would be more than fine by just reaching the event’s playoffs, for Na’Vi that isn’t enough. In fact, the other hand would consider a quarter-finals finish, for example, a disappointment. Surely, this is an unlikely result for a team of Na’Vi’s stature. Yet, nobody expected them to get beaten by Liquid back in December. Or get beaten by MiBR and NiP most recently.

For Natus Vincere, their first objective in IEM Katowice is to win the event. Their second objective, that is just as important, though, is showing a dominant form once again. It has been a while since we saw a dominant performance from Na’Vi. Now, if there’s one time to bring it back, it’s now. With G2 and Vitality’s new line ups quickly clicking together and Gambit looking as dangerous as ever, Boombl4’s squad need to establish dominance now. It’s not about just winning anymore.

SO GOOD – TEAM VITALITY

We have just seen a bit of Team Vitality, sure. But so far, the Danish and French mix has been quite the interesting team to watch. We can already see a bit of Danny “zonic” Sørensen influence in the squad, for one. And Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut and Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen is set to become a very interesting duo. We have already seen a bit of these two at the Spring Groups, of course, and they looked great.

Coming to IEM Katowice 2022, it’ll be a great chance to see this Vitality again. This team might not be quite ready to take on Gambit, for example. Yet, their matches at Spring Groups were incredibly entertaining, and now they are heading to LAN. If there’s one team to not miss in these coming days, it certainly is going to be this one.

BUT WHAT CAN THEY ACTUALLY DO?

Team Vitality looks good right now, and this squad will only get better going forward. But what Dan “apEX” Madesclaire and his teammates can do right now? Judging by their performance at the Spring Groups, they certainly can do well.

First and foremost, this roster is very well rounded-up. You have your star AWPer in ZywOo, and with dupreeh recovering his form, Vitality has a strong rifler too. As shown at BLAST’s, apEX is also playing much better with the Danes around. Having a strong leader certainly makes up for another strong element in this roster. Emil “Magisk” Reif and Kévin “misutaaa” Rabier aren’t looking quite strong just yet, but it’s not wise to write them off.

So, at the end of the day this team will struggle against the likes of Gambit, especially while misutaa looks shaky. But they definitely are amongst the best in the world, and the likes of FaZe, G2, Virtus.Pro and even Natus Vincere better keep an eye out. Vitality is coming, and when they fully start hitting off, it’ll be hard to stop this squad. Until then, though, they are going to be a very fun team to watch.

LESS THAN A DAY BEFORE KATOWICE

In a few hours, Counter-Strike will finally return to LANs. Opening with matches between NiP and Wisla Krákow. Copenhagen Flames and FNC. And GODSENT against MOUZ, this event will already start hot and it’ll only get better from them onwards.

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