IEM Cologne Group Stage Day 1 Recap: The Journey Begins.

Another day at the Palladium Koln brought us another day of exciting Counter Strike. The 16 teams in the Group Stages finally have a shot at each other to qualify for the Playoffs here at IEM Cologne 2023.

Three teams from each group will qualify to the Play-offs. The Group Winner will also get a one way ticket to the Semi Finals in the Cathedral of Counter Strike. While the second and third places will have to fight it out in the Quarterfinals.

Group A Upper Bracket:

Monte vs GamerLegion:

Starting the day off, we had a revenge match from the Paris Major on our hands. Monte managed to take the win against GamerLegion at a clean 2-0.

They displayed dominance on Mirage, leading 11-4 after the first half and ultimately winning 16-8.

On Overpass, the teams were evenly matched in the first half with Monte holding a slight lead of 8-7. Monte maintained their momentum in the second half, while GamerLegion could only recover 4 rounds, resulting in a 16-11 win for Monte.

Overall, it was a competitive match, but Monte emerged as the clear victor with their strong performances on both maps.

Cloud9 vs Fnatic:

Cloud9, despite playing with a substitute, put up a valiant fight against Fnatic but fell short, resulting in a 2-1 win for the Swedish team.

On Vertigo, Cloud9 had an advantage in the first half with an 8-7 lead, eventually overpowering Fnatic with their T-side to secure a 16-13 victory.

However, Fnatic struck back on Anubis with a strong CT-side, winning 16-10 as Cloud9 struggled to replicate the same performance.

The teams remained fiercely competitive on Ancient, with Cloud9 leading 9-6 after their T-side, but Fnatic mounted a comeback, pushing the map to Overtime and ultimately prevailing 19-16.

9INE vs ENCE:

ENCE secured a thrilling 2-1 victory against 9INE, showcasing an exhilarating comeback.

The Polish team displayed dominance on Vertigo, securing a commanding 12-3 lead in the first half and eventually winning 16-4.

However, ENCE bounced back on Nuke, exhibiting a strong T-side to take the first half 10-5 and ultimately prevailing 16-11 despite 9INE's efforts to counter.

Moving to Mirage, 9INE held the upper hand with a 9-6 first-half lead, but ENCE fought back, securing four more rounds and pushing the map into Overtime. In an impressive display, ENCE dominated Overtime, claiming four consecutive rounds to seal the victory at 19-15.

Heroic vs The Mongolz:

Heroic continued their impressive performance, securing a 2-1 victory against The Mongolz.

On Mirage, The Mongolz initially took the lead with a 5-round advantage, but Heroic made a comeback to lead 8-5 at the first half. However, The Mongolz displayed an exceptional CT-side, allowing only 3 more rounds to Heroic and winning 16-11.

Overpass saw Heroic take an early lead, but The Mongolz fought back, leading 8-7 at the first half. Heroic managed to extend to Overtime. After a grueling and weary game, Heroic ultimately prevailed at 22-18.

In the final map, Inferno, Heroic showcased their prowess, reversing an initial deficit to triumph 16-10 with a dominant T-side.

Image Source: ESL

Group B Upper Bracket:

MOUZ vs Natus Vincere:

With both teams playing with a new roster, it was MOUZ who prevailed. Siuhy managed to lead his team to victory at 2-0 over the former Major Champions.

NaVi started with an early lead on Ancient, but MOUZ swiftly turned the tables, finishing the first half 8-7 in their favor. They continued their momentum in the second half, conceding only 3 more rounds to NaVi, ultimately securing a 16-9 victory.

The domination continued for MOUZ on Overpass, excelling in their CT-side and leading 9-6 at the first half. Despite NaVi's attempt to rally back, winning 6 rounds on their CT-side to tie at 12-12, MOUZ proved superior, clinching the map with a 16-12 scoreline after a critical 4-round win streak.

Meanwhile, S1mple managed to pick up another personal accolade.

G2 Esports vs Astralis:

Two new rookie signings proved to be their undoing, as G2 managed to beat Astralis 2-1 in their matchup.

G2 started strong on Mirage, securing 4 early rounds and ending the first half at 9-6 with a solid CT-side. However, Astralis retaliated impressively with their own exceptional CT-side, allowing only 3 rounds to G2, resulting in a 16-12 victory for Astralis.

On Inferno, G2 had another good start but Astralis turned the tide, leading 9-6 at the first half. Nonetheless, G2 mounted a remarkable comeback on their CT-side, winning 16-13.

The final map, Nuke, witnessed G2's dominance with a strong CT-side, conceding only 4 rounds to Astralis, eventually sealing the match with a 16-9 win.