Things you should know before watching the IEM Katowice 2021 playoffs

The legendary event of IEM Katowice has reached playoffs, as we take a look at how things are shaping up between the qualified teams.

Seeing Natus Vincere do well is not really a surprise to anyone, their recent performance has been phenomenal and they seem to be the most consistent out of the top three teams in the world. CIS has had its dominant periods in the past and with Na’Vi slowly getting to a dominant level might be worrisome for the rest of the world.

A CIS Party

The CIS is not just Na’Vi, the whole scene in that region seems to be flourishing in this new year. With Spirit and Gambit coming from group A and Virtus Pro following Na’Vi out of group B, four CIS teams are actually present in the single elimination playoffs. Spirit was so bold to even win their group, taking down some big names in the process

With G2, Heroic and even Astralis falling to Spirit’s run for the group victory, it seems as if they might be worthy of challenging Na’Vi themselves in the playoffs. A 16-1 against Astralis in the group final showed the raw power that is within the Spirit line-up and should make for a great show later on in the tournament.

Gambit versus Na’Vi

Gambit came from group A just like Spirit, even beating most of the same teams their CIS friends did. With just one loss against Evil Geniuses they seem to be as strong as them right now and want to show what the (no longer) youngsters can do against the big dogs. Their first match in the playoffs will be against Na’vi however, meaning they will have a tough battle ahead. Just reaching this point is already a big statement coming from Gambit however, as they are currently the 19th ranked team in the world, just three spots behind the already highlighted Spirit. The winner of Na’Vi versus Gambit actually has to take on Spirit, which is a worrying sight as they seem to be very strong. Yet in every region there seems to be a distinct hierarchy as to whom should be the best, with Na’Vi currently being that best team.

Virtus.Pro-gressing

The fourth CIS team in this playoffs has found its way to the other side of the bracket, with Virtus Pro having to take on Astralis in the quarter finals. Since September 2020 the team has climbed from the number 38 in the world all the way up to number five recently, only now just dropping one lower due to Liquid rising. If they would be able to take down Astralis, which currently isn’t unthinkable looking at the Danes their current state, they would have to face Liquid in a best of three. Looking at how both teams got through group B, it could be that this CIS team would not be reaching the final, whilst the other three are fighting amongst each other in the upper part of the bracket.

Despite the fact that Astralis has made it to the playoffs, confidence should maybe not be at an all time high. Them losing out in the group A final against Spirit has shown that they are not at their peak form and are actually slightly different in their setup than normally. Lucas ‘Bubzkji’ Andersen is missing from their matches, with the classic five man core taking on every opponent.

Despite them submitting a seven-man roster for the event, they have not put it to use at all. Was this big roster just a mind game against their opponents or does the team still have an ace up their sleeves? With a long way to go to the grand final, there might indeed be reason for them to bring some surprises, yet with the performance slightly inconsistent, they might want to focus on fixing the core, rather than putting new variables to use.

Sneaking under the radar

Liquid has sneaked into the tournament and has done well to top group B, in their part of the bracket they seem to be the strongest force, taking down Na’Vi earlier in the tournament. It seems as if they are set and ready to make it to the finals, as they of course have a chance to watch and prepare against their opponent who plays a match prior to meeting them.

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