IEM Cologne Semi Finals Recap: The Final Stage is Set!!
Another day in the LANXESS Arena brought another day of spectacular Counter Strike here at IEM Cologne. The Cathedral of Counter Strike erupted, as we have our two Grand Finalists.
On one side of the Semi Finals, we saw IEM Dallas winners ENCE go head-to-head against reigning Major Champions Team Vitality. And on the other side, it was IEM Katowice winners G2 taking on 4-time Major winning organization Astralis.
Surprisingly, however, none of these 4 teams have ever had the distinction to lift the coveted cup at Cologne. This Sunday in the Cathedral, a new Champion of Cologne will be crowned. The last CS GO Champion of IEM Cologne.
Team Vitality vs ENCE:
Proving to the entire world that Dallas was no fluke, ENCE beat Vitality after quite a back and forth over 3 maps. They won the series 2-1.
Vitality removed Ancient
ENCE removed Inferno
Vitality picked Mirage
ENCE picked Nuke
Vitality removed Anubis
ENCE removed Overpass
Vertigo was left over
Map 1: Mirage
Magisk started off Mirage with some Glock magic, as he pulled off a 1v3 in the pistol round. This kicked off Vitality's impressive T-side. They managed to take 3 rounds right off the bat. ENCE fought back, holding back 6 rounds in the half. But Vitality closed out the first half at 9-6.
However, ENCE mounted an incredible comeback. They gave Vitality a taste of their own medicine. The Dallas winners took the lead at 14-11. Vitality were no slouch either, as they equalized right back at 14-14. But a decent round 29 from ENCE, and a show stopping clutch from Snappi in the final round secured the victory for ENCE at 16-14.
Map 2: Nuke
Vitality answered back on Nuke. They had a stelar CT-side performance, highlighted by ZywOo’s crazy 4k in round 8. Vitality could do no wrong, as they secured the first half 11-4. However, ENCE did fight back. Courtesy of Snappi and SunPayus, ENCE managed to make the map quite competitive. The Spaniard gave the fans quite a highlight reel, as he made mincemeat of Vitality with the AWP in round 27. However, Vitality proved to be the better team in the end, as they won the map 16-14.
Map 3: Vertigo
Taking it all the way to Vertigo, it was Vitality who managed to have a decent start. They took 4 out of the first 5 rounds. But ENCE managed to find their groove, as they pulled off a stellar T-side. Giving Vitality no room to breathe, ENCE ended the first half at 10-5.
This momentum carried onto the second half as well. Vitality only managed to take 2 rounds, before ENCE won the map 16-7, off the back of a strong 5 round win streak.
ENCE prove all their doubters wrong, as they will take a final stand at the LANXESS Arena for the Grand Finals of IEM Cologne 2023.
G2 Esports vs Astralis:
Even though Astralis’ roster rebuild had been doing wonders for them, their run was put to an end by a star studded G2. The former Katowice champions won the series 2-0.
Astralis removed Mirage
G2 removed Overpass
Astralis picked Ancient
G2 picked Inferno
Astralis removed Anubis
G2 removed Vertigo
Nuke was left over
Map 1: Ancient
It was The Kid m0NESY who was the star of the first round, as the Russian Prodigy got a 3k in his debut match at the LANXESS Arena. It was a G2 dominated show from then on. G2 took the lead and held it all the way to the final round of the first half. However, fans were given a quick glimpse of the old AWP king, as Dev1ce single-handedly won round 15 for Astralis.
In the second half, it was BlameF who was the star of the pistol round. He pulled off quite the incredible Ace to start the uphill fight for Astralis. However, even though Astralis had a decent T-side, G2 were the better team,as they came out on top at 16-12.
Map 2: Inferno
Inferno was G2’s bread and butter. They had an impressive T-side, which allowed them to take an early lead at 7-1. NiKo even managed to get a spectacular Ace in round 2, pulling out a round from an impossible 2v5 situation. Astralis did not stay silent however. They managed to salvage whatever they could, and ended the half 9-6 in favor of G2.
Although Astralis managed to win out the pistol in the second half, it was completely dominated by G2. Hooxi and co showed off a very strong CT-side, as they won 6 rounds in a row. Astralis could only claw back 2 more rounds, before G2 put the game to rest at 16-9.
G2 go on to the Grand Finals, where they will face ENCE in front of the entire world to claim the title of IEM Cologne 2023 Champions.
Image Source: ESL