The IEM Katowice 2024 Play-In has formally begun, with sixteen groups seeking to safe their place within the Group Stage starting later this week. After day one of many occasion, we’ve already seen an enormous upset, just a few thrashings, and two groups securing their place within the Group Stafe of IEM Katowice 2024.
So what precisely went down in the course of the opening act? Let’s have a look at among the highlights.
Heroic safe Group Stage slot
![IEM Katowice 2024](https://www.esports.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Heroic-IEM-Katowice-2024-Day-One.jpg)
Credit score: IEM on X.
Heroic got here into the day as underdogs towards Astralis, who’ve seemed robust in latest weeks. The Heroic CS2 roster drama from late final yr added some further spice to the affair, with Heroic needing to show they may go it with out two of their earlier stars, jabbi and stavn. Show it they did, edging out Astralis 13:11 in a match that teetered on a knife’s edge.
Their day wasn’t completed there. Later within the day, they managed to comfortably beat BIG 2:1 to safe a Group Stage place at IEM Katowice 2024. For Heroic, each single participant performed their half on the day, proving this new undertaking is definitely not useless on arrival.
Apeks get donk’ed
Has there ever been a lot hype a few younger expertise earlier than? If his win at BetBoom Dacha 2023 didn’t impress you, then this could have. Spirit’s donk, the 17-year-old prodigy seen as the subsequent nice rifler, introduced himself at IEM Katowice 2024 in gorgeous trend, top-fragging as his staff took down Apeks 13:0 in a complete wipeout.
It didn’t even really feel honest, like the 2 groups have been enjoying two separate video games totally. Even higher, donk was screaming throughout the corridor after each spherical, simply letting Apeks know precisely what the brand new child on the block is all about.
We may wax lyrical about donk all day, however we don’t should. His efficiency on the server does all of the speaking he wants. Can he stick with it into the subsequent day? The MongolZ will likely be his newest take a look at.
![IEM Katowice 2024](https://www.esports.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/donk-IEM-Katowice-2024-240x300.jpg)
Credit score: ESLCS on X.
Cloud9 fall to native staff Rebels
![IEM Katowice 2024](https://www.esports.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Rebels-IEM-Katowice-2024.jpg)
Credit score: IEM on X.
Previous to IEM Katowice 2024, you’d be forgiven for not figuring out precisely who Rebels are. Winners of ESL Mistrzostwa Polski Autumn 2023 beneath the PALOMA banner, Rebels are a neighborhood staff in Poland. On day one in all IEM Katowice 2024, they pulled off what we’re 99% positive would be the upset of the event, beating Cloud9 13:10 on Mirage.
Credit score to Rebels, the staff backside of our IEM Katowice 2024 energy rankings – they performed some nice CS, shutting down any probability of Cloud9 ever taking the map. They seemed assured of their play, even when they later struggled in a best-of-three towards Everlasting Hearth.
However for Cloud9, that is the newest in a string of defeats that actually calls into query their persistence with a no-AWP experiment. At what level do they settle for it and make a change? This may very well be all-time low, falling to the plucky underdogs right here.
These have been the highlights, however these are the complete outcomes from day one in all IEM Katowice 2024:
Cloud9 10:13 Rebels
Everlasting Hearth 13:1 BetBoom Crew
Rebels 0:2 Everlasting Hearth
Heroic 13:11 Astralis
ENCE 9:13 BIG
Heroic 2:1 BIG
FURIA 14:16 The MongolZ
Crew Spirit 13:0 Apeks
GamerLegion 13:10 M80
Rooster 4:13 Virtus.professional