Astralis & FaZe invited to IEM Oakland

22-6-2017 18:54

Astralis and FaZe have been invited to compete at IEM Oakland, ESL has announced.

The European duo, who are currently ranked second and third in the world, respectively, are the first two teams confirmed for the IEM event, which will take place on November 18-19 at the Oracle Arena, home of NBA franchise Golden State Warriors.

Six more spots will be filled through invites, two of which will be revealed on Friday. The last four teams will be determined via qualifiers, with details expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Astralis invited to IEM Oakland

A total of $300,000 will be up for grabs at IEM Oakland, making it the fourth event to count towards the Intel Grand Slam (after ESL One Cologne, DreamHack Masters Malmö and ESL One New York).

The 12 participating teams will be split into two best-of-one round robin groups. The group winners will advance to the semi-finals, while the second and the third-placed sides will be placed in the quarter-finals. The single-elimination playoffs will culminate with the best-of-five grand final, scheduled for 20:00 .

Ticket sales will go up on Friday at 21:00 on the event's official website. Below you can find the team list as it stands:

Astralis	FaZe
Invite #3	Invite #4
Invite #5	Invite #6
Invite #7	Invite #8
Qualifier #1	Qualifier #2
Qualifier #3	Qualifier #4

Ninjas in Pyjamas are the current IEM Oakland champions after defeating SK 2-1 in the grand final of the 2016 edition, which took place from November 16-20.

Below you can find the prize distribution for the event:

1. $125,000
2. $50,000
3-4. $25,000
5-6. $12,000
7-8. $5,000
9-10. $3,500
11-12. $2,000

(+$1,000 per group stage win)

#IEM will be returning to the Bay Area this November with @astralisgg & @FaZeClan as the first invited teams!https://t.co/2qV54qQidC pic.twitter.com/Vl266cc7Pk
— Intel®ExtremeMasters (@IEM) June 22, 2017

Good to see 2 great teams get invited

2017-06-22 18:55

9 replies

ez faze

Wasted slots

2017-06-22 18:58

7 replies

dont worry vp will not get invited))))

2017-06-22 19:00

wasted slots cause VP cant win against these 2 :^(

2017-06-22 19:11

5 replies

Vp era is coming Mark my words

2017-06-22 19:12

4 replies

VP era in premier

2017-06-22 19:26

3 replies

they won't play in premier

2017-06-22 19:39

2 replies

Yes because they got knocked out of premier

2017-06-22 23:19

1 reply

nope they won't play it because premier won't have promotion spots for EPL in the next season it will have it after that season

2017-06-23 02:44

#ToTheStars

2017-06-22 18:57

why not SK?

They will be next with VP and NiP

2017-06-22 23:41

NIP hahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahhahahahahahahhaahahha

2017-06-23 04:22

"NiP are the current IEM Oakland champions after defeating SK 2-1 in the grand final of the 2016 edition, which took place from November 16-20." Nice troll I guess?

2017-06-23 04:25

ez 4 NiKo

The winner is here

Ez Sk

NiP are the current IEM Oakland champions after defeating SK 2-1 in the grand final of the 2016 edition, which took place from November 16-20. Pls dont invite NiP , let them qualify via qualifiers...

i was thinking that too but i think that team that wins a tournament should be automatic in next tournament aswell.

2017-06-22 18:59

6 replies

+1 no exceptions just cus nip hit rockbottom

2017-06-22 19:13

What if there is 3 or 4 new players on the team?

2017-06-22 20:01

Well yeah that would make sense cause once there is 3 new players a team is no longer considered the same team. But NIP still has GTR Xist and F0rest. They had all of them at the last IEM event so they're still technically the same team.

2017-06-22 20:03

well thats another topic

2017-06-22 20:56

in that case fnatic should have been invited to katowice since they won in 2016.but they had to qualify.so in this case also they should force nip to qualify.

2017-06-22 19:28

Yeah but NiP have kept GTR, f0rest and Xizt ever since, while Fnatic split up for a while. That split probably influenced ESL's decision to not invite them.

2017-06-22 20:55

Hoping to see Fnatic get invited too :) They have been playing so good lately!

Pls SA qualifiers :)

ez 4 spaceS Qualifier

Ez VP

2017-06-22 19:02

Ez lose for Virtus.Premier Virtus.Throw

2017-06-23 09:09

just w8 they will eat everything at some point thats for sure its VP

2017-06-23 16:40

Asia Qualifier pls esl :/

2017-06-22 19:03

NiP comeback I'm calling it, semis ez

2017-06-22 19:06

Expected

2017-06-22 19:16

+NiP 100%

+ SK , VP , G2 , North , Na'Vi , NiP / Cloud9.

2017-06-22 19:17

fnatic???? they deserve it more than NiP/clown9

2017-06-22 20:53

true :) my bad :)

2017-06-22 20:57

lol, G2 wins ESL pro league finals and isn't first to be invited.

2017-06-22 19:18

What kinda retarded logic is that

2017-06-22 23:42

invite MOUZ!

2017-06-22 19:20

SK top 1 ofc

2017-06-22 19:25

Lets hope for SK, G2, North, Fnatic, OpTic and Na'Vi now

invite the rest of top10 now

2017-06-22 19:50

Nip should be invited next . they re the last oakland champs

2017-06-22 19:51

after the esl cologne group stage iem should invite #7 spaces

2017-06-22 20:28

NiP will get invited 100%

2017-06-22 20:29

(+$1,000 per group stage win) well thats cool

2017-06-22 20:37

+NiP +North +Virtus.Throw +fnatic +G2 +Cloud9

2017-06-22 21:16

-C9 +CLG/Liquid

2017-06-22 22:35

Cloud9 may be bad but they're better than CLG and Liquid

2017-06-22 23:43

Head-to-head matchup maybe. Put the three against other EU teams though, and C9 will be the worst of them (unless it's against G2).

2017-06-23 01:00

ez for G2

2017-06-22 21:37

ez for KD

2017-06-22 21:39

Ez for NiP.

2017-06-22 21:40

NiP win the last year , invite nip.

2017-06-22 21:45

Top boring teams EU invited already, woooo, it will be CrEaZeYYaaYYyyy...!!!

2017-06-22 22:17

Some of these events really should start inviting Team Liquid instead of always inviting Cloud 9 and OpTic Gaming. Team Liquid seems highly better than both but aren't given the same opportunities as them which is outrageous.

2017-06-23 00:45