IEM Sydney 2023IEM Sydney semifinals live updates and highlights
The final four teams are playing for spots in Sunday's grand final.
MOUZ coach Dennis "sycrone" Nielsen on making it to the semi-finals with a stand-in: "I think we caught a little bit of a break here, getting a fairly easy bracket."
On Vertigo pick: "I don't think it was a mistake, you saw even on Nuke we got even more stomped. When it came to Vertigo we lost both pistols, and at the end there were a few swing rounds, and if one of those 3on2s or the 5on3 go our way, we're probably winning the map."
On stand-in Nexius performance: "Very impressed by Bram. Before the tournament we were unsure if xertioN was gonna miss it or Jimi, so he had to look to play two roles, actually, and he ended up playing Jimpphat roles which he doesn't usually play. He tackled that task really well."
Finn "karrigan" Andersen spoke on the desk about the decision to leave FaZe's usual permaban in the pool, saying the team put some work into the map when the switch to CS2 came.
"I was sitting there and I was like, 'I'm gonna throw something out here in the room and see how it is. Guys, what about banning Mirage and playing Vertigo?' and I just hear everyone, 'yeah, let's do it, it's time,'" he said.
"When we started with CS2, it was very simple, start with seven maps, we have had issues with our maps the last few months, so let's see how it goes. Vertigo isn't a map we fully put time into, but you could see we had some set executes. They didn't work (laughs), but we have a lot of players that are great at mid-round situations, and obviously Twistzz playing HAM on that B site."
FaZe have done it. The Finn "karrigan" Andersen-led squad have continued their imperious form in Sydney by beating MOUZ 2-0 and even won their usual permaban.
They now move on to the Sydney grand final, where they will face off against Complexity on Sunday at 09:30 .
FaZe's second pistol win of the map got them up to double digits, but MOUZ have just about stayed in the map. A 1vs2 clutch by Bram "Nexius" Campana got them within two rounds of FaZe, and MOUZ now have a great chance to tie the scores at nine.
The individuals from FaZe are keeping them in this. Two quad-kills by Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken on the B site mean that the scores remain level at five, and FaZe have the upper hand in the economy now.
FaZe seem much less confident on Vertigo than on Nuke, which was to be expected. The lack of repetition on the map is costing Finn "karrigan" Andersen and company, but they still have a chance on the map, they remain within touching distance of MOUZ.
FaZe really are back. After a few back-and-forth opening rounds, Finn "karrigan" Andersen and company shifted into a higher gear and ran away with it.
Eight rounds on the T side were followed by a flawless 5-0 defense that gave them a 13-4 victory on their map pick, with Helvijs "broky" Saukants's 1vs2 clutch making sure they didn't let MOUZ back into the game.
Next up is Vertigo, though. FaZe played it just once in the last year, in a 16-19 loss to Bad News Eagles at the Rio Major. Maybe Robin "ropz" Kool and karrigan have cooked up something special.
FaZe overturned their early deficit without much trouble and dominated the later portions of their offense. A crucial 2vs3 post-plant conversion by Robin "ropz" Kool and Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken got them a 5-4 lead, and they didn't let up from then on to end the half with a four-round streak.
MOUZ won the CT pistol and converted it to a 2-0 lead, and are barely keeping their economy under control. FaZe have just called their first timeout, let's see what Filip "NEO" Kubski can bring to the table.
FaZe have decided to ban Mirage and leave their usual permaban Vertigo in the pool, and MOUZ called their bluff and picked the skyscraper map.
FaZe's pick of Nuke will start off the series, with Vertigo second. Ancient will be the decider if needed.
1. FaZe removed Mirage
2. MOUZ removed Anubis
3. FaZe picked Nuke
4. MOUZ picked Vertigo
5. FaZe removed Inferno
6. MOUZ removed Overpass
7. Ancient was left over
David 'frozen' Čerňanský
Kamil 'siuhy' Szkaradek
Ádám 'torzsi' Torzsás
Jimi 'Jimpphat' Salo
Dorian 'xertioN' Berman
Russel 'Twistzz' Van Dulken
Robin 'ropz' Kool
Oleksandr 's1mple' Kostyliev
Mihai 'iM' Ivan
Justinas 'jL' Lekavicius
Pavle 'Maden' Bošković
Álvaro 'SunPayus' García
Rigon 'rigoN' Gashi
Jonatan 'Devilwalk' Lundberg
Jan 'Swani' Müller
Dan 'apEX' Madesclaire
Ashley 'ash' Battye
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