After a shaky performance earlier in the Counter-Strike 2 tournament, FaZe’s recovery was driven by strong performances from H?vard “?rain?” Nygaard, David “?frozen?” ?erňansky, and Robin “?ropz?” Kool.

PLAYOFFS FOR @FaZeEsports

It's Ro16 in the #ESLProLeague S20 playoffs for the S17 champions pic.twitter.com/klZzxtnUkq

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 6, 2024

Their counter-terrorist side on Anubis laid the foundation for rain to shine in the offensive half, while Dust2 saw a dominant FaZe performance, with Finn “?karrigan?” Andersen rallying his team loudly throughout.

Sangal, after defeating FaZe in their opening matchup, couldn’t build on that momentum.

They suffered defeats to Eternal Fire and FaZe, falling to the Last Chance Stage, where they will face FlyQuest.

FaZe’s recent form marks a shift after early exits from BLAST Premier Fall Groups and IEM Cologne.

Now, with an impressive run at the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown and solid improvements at ESL Pro League, they are back in playoff contention.

Congratulations @Team__Spirit!

They've secured a spot in the Ro16 of the #ESLProLeague Season 20 Playoffs @chopperis @magixx772 @donk1337 @sh1rocsgo @zont1x977 pic.twitter.com/2D4xIi92kw

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 6, 2024

Meanwhile, Team Spirit also earned a playoff berth after reverse-sweeping 3DMAX.

Despite losing the first map on Anubis (6-13), Spirit bounced back with dominant wins on Ancient (13-6) and Nuke (13-2), powered by standout performances from Danil “?donk?” Kryshkovets and Myroslav “?zont1x?” Plakhotia.

In the Last Chance Stage, KOI and Lynn Vision were eliminated after losses to Wildcard and FlyQuest, respectively.

FlyQuest managed to stave off elimination in a hard-fought series against Lynn Vision, while Wildcard continues their tournament run after defeating KOI.

The MongolZ and 9z have also dropped into the Last Chance Stage following losses to Spirit and 3DMAX.

The MongolZ took Spirit to the brink but couldn’t close the series, while 9z’s defeat leaves them struggling to regain their early-season form after setbacks at IEM Cologne and BetBoom Dacha.

Spirit’s playoff berth was hard-fought, having earlier survived a scare from Wildcard and losing to MIBR.

Their recovery, alongside FaZe’s resurgence, adds intrigue as the tournament heads into the final stages.

Saturday’s ESL Pro League fixtures

• 9z Team ($2.25) vs The MongolZ ($1.57) @ 1:30pm CEST
• Sangal ($1.40) vs FlyQuest ($2.75) @ 1:30pm CEST
• Heroic ($1.57) vs Ninjas in Pyjamas ($2.25) @ 4:30pm CEST
• Wildcard ($3.40) vs 3DMAX ($1.30) @ 4:30pm CEST
• Eternal Fire ($2.62) vs Natus Vincere ($1.44) @ 7:30pm CEST

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Coming off a win against 9z, MIBR initially struggled, losing their Ancient pick 13-2.

However, they bounced back with a strong 6-0 start on the counter-terrorist side of the second map, comfortably tying the Counter-Strike series.

The decider, Anubis, went into overtime, where MIBR emerged victorious despite a fierce comeback from Spirit, led by Danil “donk” Kryshkovets.

.@MIBR ARE GOING TO THE #ESLProLeague XX PLAYOFFS pic.twitter.com/aXkewCGoAi

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 5, 2024

Spirit will drop into the lower bracket and will face The MongolZ, who decisively beat KOI 2-0 (13-1, 13-0) in just 81 minutes, where they only lost one round across the two maps.

The Mongolians dominated, with standout performances from Usukhbayar “910” Banzragch and Munkhbold “Senzu” Azbayar, both boasting over a 2.00 rating.

KOI now faces elimination in the Last Chance Stage against Wildcard, who were convincingly beaten by 9z Team 2-0 (13-6, 13-10) in the lower bracket of Group B.

Elsewhere, both Heroic and Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP) are in the Last Chance Stage after defeats in their lower bracket semi-finals.

Heroic let an 11-3 lead slip on Nuke against Sangal, losing the series despite a strong showing from Guy “NertZ” Iluz and Abdul “degster” Gasanov on Mirage.

NiP pushed FaZe Clan to the limit but eventually crumbled in the decider on Dust2, where H?vard “rain” Nygaard led FaZe to an 11-1 halftime advantage, before claiming the final map 13-1.

IT'S PLAYOFFS FOR @G2CSGO

They've guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoffs of #ESLProLeague Season 20! pic.twitter.com/Z19k1TtNpC

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 5, 2024

G2 Esports also secured a playoff spot after defeating 3DMAX 2-1 (10-13, 13-6, 13-7) and set up a clash with MIBR in the upper bracket final, with the winner set to earn a quarter-final spot in the playoffs.

Friday’s ESL Pro League fixtures

• 9z Team ($1.72) vs 3DMAX ($2.00) @ 1:30pm CEST
• The MongolZ ($3.75) vs Team Spirit ($1.25) @ 1:30pm CEST
• FlyQuest ($1.50) vs Lynn Vision ($2.50) @ 4:30pm CEST
• Sangal Esports ($3.40) vs FaZe Clan ($1.30) @ 4:30pm CEST
• KOI ($2.50) vs Wildcard ($1.50) @ 7:30pm CEST
• Winner of 9z/3DMAX vs Winner of Spirit/MongolZ @ 7:30pm CEST

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In one of the more lopsided fixtures of the ESL Pro League Season 20 group stage, Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz’s Wildcard will look to derail one of the tournament favourites, Team Spirit. However, iit is fair to question whether Counter-Strike betting sites have priced Spirit a bit too short.

Although Wildcard are one of the lowest-ranked teams in Malta and hail from a weak region, they have dominated the North American scene for the last two months. That is still not as impressive as Team Spirit’s run since the start of August, but at Intel Extreme Masters Cologne, we saw that Spirit can collapse even against weaker opponents.

It would be too optimistic to believe Wildcard can defeat Team Spirit under normal circumstances, but the map handicap odds for this series are a bit too generous.

The MongolZ have made serious noise over the last few months in European Counter-Strike tournaments. While their run at IEM Cologne 2024 was not as successful, they defeated FlyQuest, Eternal Fire, and Team Spirit, and also played two close series against SAW.

After a strong run of their own, 3DMAX have cooled down lately. They won Skyesports Championship 2024 at the end of July but have since placed last in Cologne and ended CCT Season 2 European Series #8 in 9th-16th place.

While 3DMAX beat The MongolZ in July, their performances since then have been underwhelming. Backing the favourites at $1.55 is not a bad option, but Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren and co. should be able to sweep 3DMAX without many issues.

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Liquid demonstrated their resilience and depth by overcoming FURIA 2-1 in a dramatic reverse-sweep, where the new and improved Counter-Strike 2 roster continued their upward spiral.

A reverse sweep sees @TeamLiquidCS best @FURIA 2-1 in their advancement match

Anubis 8-13
Nuke 13-11
Mirage 13-7 pic.twitter.com/8Jp8rE9YUP

— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) August 8, 2024

After dropping their Anubis pick, Liquid found themselves in trouble but bounced back on Nuke.

Key performances from Russel “?Twistzz?” Van Dulken and Roland “?ultimate?” Tomkowiak helped Liquid turn the tide.

The decider on Mirage saw Liquid dominate, with Justin “?jks?” Savage and Keith “?NAF?” Markovic anchoring both ends of the map, allowing Mareks “YEKINDAR” Ga?inskis and ultimate to roam freely.

Liquid’s strong map pool and adaptability carried them to victory, with a final win securing their spot in the top-16.

It went to DOUBLE OT but @ComplexityCS still defeat @eternalfiregg 2-0 in order to advance at #IEM Cologne 2024 without dropping a map in Stage 1

13-9 Vertigo
19-17 Dust 2 pic.twitter.com/BCEKQbOL1q

— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) August 8, 2024

Complexity also punched their ticket to the group stage with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Eternal Fire.

After a rough start on Vertigo, Complexity managed a comeback, fueled by a 1vs3 pistol clutch and stellar terrorist-side play from Jonathan “?EliGE?” Jablonowski.

The battle on Dust2 was even more intense, with Complexity and Eternal Fire trading rounds in a messy but entertaining match.

Michael “?Grim?” Wince’s 1vs2 ace clutch was pivotal, and despite some shaky moments, Johnny “?JT?” Theodosiou’s clutch in double overtime secured the win.

And it's @sawggofficial who best @BIGCLANgg over the 3 map series to secure their spot in #IEM Cologne Stage 2!

7-13 Anubis
13-5 Ancient
13-11 Inferno pic.twitter.com/AylbhdCrFk

— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) August 8, 2024

SAW became the first team to advance to the group stage from the play-in.

The Portuguese squad triumphed over BIG in a three-map series that culminated in a nail-biting Inferno decider.

After trading each other’s map picks, SAW came back from a deficit on Inferno, with Jo?o “?story?” Vieira’s 1vs2 clutch in the final round sealing the victory.

The win was a significant milestone for veterans Ricardo “?roman?” Oliveira and Christopher “?MUTiRiS?” Fernandes, who credited their younger teammates for the success.

While those three teams have qualified for the main event at IEM Cologne, FlyQuest, 3DMAX and ALTERNATE aTTaX were eliminated from the play-in stage on Thursday after suffering their second loss.

Friday will be the final day of the play-in stage, and the remaining 10 squads will battle it out for the last five places in the main event.

Friday’s IEM Cologne play-in matches

• 9z Team ($1.44) vs MIBR ($2.62) @ 1:30pm CEST
• Imperial ($2.50) vs paiN Gaming ($1.50) @ 1:30pm CEST
• BIG ($2.25) vs Falcons ($1.57) @ 3:45pm CEST
• FURIA ($1.83) vs Heroic ($1.83) @ 3:45pm CEST
• The Mongolz ($1.61) vs Eternal Fire ($2.20) @ 6:45pm CEST
• Winner of Imperial/paiN Gaming vs Loser of MIBR/9z Team @ 6:45pm CEST

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The first day produced some upset results, with The Mongolz and Heroic going down as the esports betting sites’ favourite in their opening best-of-three series.

The Mongolz are on the brink of elimination at IEM Cologne after a 1-2 loss to SAW, faltering on defence.

BIG, on the other hand, managed a comeback victory over FlyQuest after initially blowing a 9-3 lead.

These two winners will face off for a spot in the main event of the tournament.

SAW, energised and well-prepared under new head coach Danny “?BERRY?” Krüger, overcame a slow start on Anubis.

They trailed 4-8 on the counter-terrorist side but rallied in the second half, exploiting The MongolZ’s weak B bomb site.

Despite a comeback from The Mongolz forcing overtime, SAW secured a 16-13 win.

After The Mongolz won on Ancient, SAW dominated Dust2, with key contributions from Jo?o ‘story’ Vieira, Michel ‘ewjerkz’ Pinto, and Rafael ‘arrozdoce’ Wing, to win 13-5.

.@BIGCLANgg put a stop to the @FlyQuestCS comeback at the last hour! The German squad opens their #IEM Cologne 2024 campaign with a victory

14-16 Ancient
13-10 Inferno
13-11 Vertigo pic.twitter.com/B9DTOIWTD7

— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) August 7, 2024

BIG’s match against FlyQuest was similarly dramatic.

After trading 9-3 terrorist halves and forcing overtime, FlyQuest took the lead.

BIG responded by winning on Inferno and dominating Vertigo with a 10-0 start.

FlyQuest attempted a comeback, but BIG held on for a 13-11 victory.

MIBR, under new in-game leader André “?drop?” Abreu, defeated Heroic 2-1.

Heroic struggled on the defensive side, losing 7-13 on Mirage and Anubis after a strong start on Ancient.

MIBR’s Felipe “?insani?” Yuji and AWPer Rafael “?saffee?” Costa were standout performers.

.@MIBR take down @heroicgg 2-1 in their opening game of #IEM Cologne 2024

10-13 Ancient
13-7 Mirage
13-7 Anubis pic.twitter.com/GtNPlIX1xR

— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) August 7, 2024

The next phase will see 3DMAX face Heroic in an elimination match, and 9z Team take on MIBR for a group stage spot.

9z easily defeated 3DMAX 13-3 and 13-4, showcasing star player Franco “?dgt?” Garcia and captain Maximiliano “?max?” Gonzalez.

Eternal Fire is close to securing a spot in the main event after a 2-1 win over Falcons.

The match saw standout performances from Ismailcan “?XANTARES?” D?rtkarde? on Vertigo and ?zgür “?woxic?” Eker on Dust2, despite some sloppy play from both teams.

Team Liquid and FURIA won their opening matches, defeating paiN Gaming and Imperial, respectively.

Liquid, coming off strong performances at BLAST Premier Fall Groups, overcame paiN with solid terrorist-side efforts on Anubis and Inferno.

FURIA’s Brazilian derby against Imperial saw them recover from a disastrous start on Dust2 to win the series 2-1, highlighted by a 13-0 thrashing on Inferno.

Day one of #IEM Cologne 2024 and we've seen it all.

A back and forth affair that goes 3 maps until @FURIA decided to end it with a 13-0 against @imperialesports

3-13 Dust 2
13-11 Nuke
13-0 Inferno pic.twitter.com/Os0naPYZyI

— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) August 7, 2024

Thursday’s IEM Cologne play-in fixtures

• SAW ($1.80) vs BIG ($1.90) @ 1:30pm CEST
• The Mongolz ($1.40) vs FlyQuest ($2.75) @ 1:30pm CEST
• 3DMAX ($2.25) vs Heroic ($1.57) @ 3:45pm CEST
• FURIA ($2.62) vs Team Liquid ($1.44) @ 3:45pm CEST
• ALTERNATE aTTaX ($7.00) vs Falcons ($1.08) @ 6:45pm CEST
• Complexity ($2.10) vs Eternal Fire ($1.66) @ 6:45pm CEST

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FlyQuest and BIG have enough talent on their rosters to qualify for the IEM Cologne 2024 main event. However, it is tough to pick a winner between these two, and betting on the total maps market looks to be the safest play.

The Mongolz broke into the top 10 on the ESL world rankings for the first time, but they have since dropped to 11th. The Mongolian squad is ranked 18 spots higher than SAW and shouldn’t have much trouble beating the Portuguese roster.

Heroic will have to play at IEM Cologne with Volodymyr “Woro2k” Veletnjuk as a stand-in, which should make this clash against MIBR closer than first expected. Neither team enters this event in great form, so taking the underdog at the match line is the play.

9z Team surprised everyone when they finished in third-fourth place at IEM Dallas 2024, where they defeated the likes of Liquid, Vitality and MOUZ. 3DMAX have had little time to prepare for their IEM Cologne campaign after being added as a replacement for BetBoom Team on Monday. At $1.80 with top esports bookmakers, 9z represent great value.

These teams are separated by 84 spots in the ESL world rankings, so it is no surprise that Complexity are $1.06 favourites. There is no value in head-to-head or match-line betting with esports betting sites, so the round-line market is the value option.

Falcons have yet to win an S-Tier tournament since their inception into Counter-Strike; however, recent results suggest they are improving steadily. Eternal Fire enter this series as favourites, but given the improvement of this Falcons squad, the underdogs can spring a surprise.

FURIA are heavy favourites to beat Imperial, as they are 16 spots higher in the ESL world rankings. Following a strong performance at the Esports World Cup, it is hard to bet against this new and improved FURIA outfit.

Team Liquid have looked better under the leadership of Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken, defeating Natus Vincere twice en route to qualifying for the BLAST Premier Fall Final. PaiN Gaming have been competing against South American teams in qualifiers and A-Tier events, so it is hard to see them beating Liquid in this series.

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Filling in for the Russian Counter-Strike 2 team will be 3DMAX, as per the ESL Pro Tour’s Team Replacement Rules.

Unfortunately, @BetBoomTeam have been unable to obtain visas to travel to #IEM Cologne and have been replaced by @3DMAXGaming as the next eligible team based on our Team Replacement Rules. pic.twitter.com/25kb62Tq02

— Intel? Extreme Masters (@IEM) August 5, 2024

BetBoom had earned a spot in the play-in stage of IEM Cologne via the ESL World Ranking.

The tournament would have been their first of the season, following their last official match in June at YaLLa Compass.

BetBoom had also planned to attend the Skyesports Championship but withdrew, citing unmet conditions and fairness concerns with the Indian tournament organiser.

3DMAX, who recently won the Skyesports Championship and achieved their peak world rank of 18, will take BetBoom’s spot in the play-in bracket, facing 9z in the first round of the double-elimination stage.

Additionally, Herioc announced that Volodymyr “?Woro2k?” Veletniuk will replace Abdul “?degster?” Gasanov, who also faces visa issues.

Woro2k, known for his time on Monte and their underdog run to the BLAST.tv Paris Major quarter-finals, will join Heroic in their play-in stage match against MIBR.

winning Cologne with the stand-in buff pic.twitter.com/u1n23twFa1

— HEROIC (@heroicgg) August 5, 2024

It’s unclear if degster will miss the entire event as Heroic awaits visa approval, ready to fly him in if circumstances change.

Visa issues have increasingly impacted Russian players in the CS2 scene.

Earlier this year, Team Spirit’s Danil “donk” Kryshkovets and Boris “magixx” Vorobyev missed the BLAST Spring Groups 2024 due to similar problems.

These visa challenges continue to hinder one of the most talented regions in the scene, preventing players from participating in major tournaments.

Heroic’s IEM Cologne 2024 line-up

• René “?TeSeS?” Madsen
• Rasmus “?sjuush?” Beck
• Guy “?NertZ?” Iluz
• Damjan “?kyxsan?” Stoilkovski
• Volodymyr “?Woro2k?” Veletniuk
• Coach: Eetu “?sAw?” Saha

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Despite a slow start in the first two maps, G2 rallied in the third, led by Nikola “NiKo” Kova?’s outstanding performance, earning him a series-high 1.30 rating.

Quarter-Finals for @G2CSGO at #ESLProLeague Season 19! pic.twitter.com/arZWSI4n5b

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) May 8, 2024

Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen credited NiKo’s improved form to a change in their CT strategy, giving him a more active role in the game.

With this win, G2 advances to face MOUZ in the quarterfinals.

Liquid narrowly avoided a comeback from FlyQuest, winning 2-1 (13-10, 14-16, 13-10).

Despite building significant leads in all three maps, Liquid struggled to close out, with FlyQuest forcing overtime on Anubis.

IT'S TOP 8 OF #ESLProLeague SEASON 19 FOR @TeamLiquidCS pic.twitter.com/QkjR1tZjnr

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) May 8, 2024

However, Liquid secured victory on Ancient, setting up a must-watch Counter-Strike series against Astralis.

The upcoming Liquid vs. Astralis match promises intrigue, especially with Casper “cadiaN” M?ller facing his former HEROIC teammates.

Liquid’s shaky form raises questions about their competitiveness against Astralis, who have been in top form since adding Alexander “br0” Bro.

FaZe secured revenge against NAVI, winning 2-0 (13-5, 16-14) after losing to them in the PGL Major Copenhagen finals.

FaZe dominated Nuke and narrowly won Mirage, setting up a quarterfinal clash with Vitality.

After taking down the current Major Champions @FaZeClan are now in the #ESLProLeague Season 19 TOP 8! 8⃣ pic.twitter.com/AF3rsP6NUO

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) May 8, 2024

FaZe’s Finn “karrigan” Andersen led his team’s dominant performance on Nuke, while Robin “ropz” Kool and H?vard “rain” Nygaard anchored a strong Mirage defense.

Virtus.pro completed the quarterfinal lineup with a thrilling 2-1 (11-13, 13-6, 13-11) victory over TheMongolz.

After trailing on Ancient, Virtus.pro mounted a stunning comeback to win 11-13.

Mirage saw Virtus.pro take an early lead, thanks to Petr “fame” Bolyshev’s inspired play, while TheMongolz fought back but couldn’t overcome their opponent’s dominance.

On Ancient, Virtus.pro faced an 11-2 deficit but staged an incredible comeback to win 16-13, sealing their spot in the quarterfinals.

Despite Virtus.pro’s disorganized start, they showed resilience and determination, as highlighted by David “n0rb3r7” Danielyan’s post-match remarks.

Their thrilling victory sets up a clash against Complexity in the quarterfinals.

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The French team, led by Bryan “Maka” Canda and with Filip “Graviti” Brankovic as a stand-in, showed resilience, particularly in their 2-0 (13-5, 13-10) victory over Fnatic.

.@3DMAXGaming are the FIRST team to be confirmed for the #ESLProLeague Season 19 Playoffs!!

Congratulations @Makazin_ @LuckyCSGO_@Djoko_13@Ex3rcice@graviti_cs pic.twitter.com/zeNOcmZhuR

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 24, 2024

Despite a competitive match against SAW that went into overtime on both maps, 3DMAX displayed dominance against Fnatic, winning on Anubis and Ancient.

Graviti’s performance was notable, especially in securing crucial rounds for 3DMAX.

Although the Counter-Strike played on Ancient was scrappy, 3DMAX managed to maintain their lead, with Graviti’s contributions proving pivotal.

Notably, a clutch play by Thomas “Djoko” Pavoni sealed the victory for 3DMAX, thwarting any chances of a Fnatic comeback.

Meanwhile, Astralis continued their strong run by defeating FaZe 2-0 (13-11, 13-9) in the upper bracket semi-final of Group A.

Since the addition of Alexander “br0” Bro and the shift of in-game leadership to Nicolai “device” Reedtz, Astralis has been performing well.

They secured wins on Ancient and Nuke against FaZe, advancing to the playoffs and setting up a match against 3DMAX for a spot in the quarter-finals.

The second team to be guaranteed a spot in the #ESLProLeague Season 19 Playoffs is @AstralisCS! pic.twitter.com/9fD230SpzE

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 24, 2024

Victor ‘Staehr’ Staehr and br0 from Astralis expressed satisfaction with their victory over FaZe, acknowledging the tough competition they faced.

Br0 highlighted the team’s adaptability and credited the coaching staff and device for their preparation and calling.

He also discussed his integration into the team and expressed confidence in his improvement over time.

The match on Ancient showcased Astralis’ dominance in the first half, followed by a strong comeback from FaZe in the second half.

However, Astralis managed to secure the win with key plays, including a clutch by Staehr.

On Nuke, Astralis recovered from a shaky start to secure the victory, with stavn’s pivotal plays contributing to their success.

Overall, both 3DMAX and Astralis showed strong performances in the group stage, setting the stage for exciting matchups in the playoffs of ESL Pro League Season 19.

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