Cloud9 eliminate nafany's BetBoom

Cloud9 got one over on their old IGL to keep their campaign alive in Katowice.

Cloud9 had to recover from a gut-wrenching quadruple overtime loss on the opening map, but they did so admirably to take a 2-1 win over BetBoom, eliminating Vladislav "⁠nafany⁠" Gorshkov's side from the IEM Katowice Play-in.

The series lived up to its billing as a grudge match between nafany and the team that kicked him, as both sides were very vocal in-between rounds and frustration or elation was apparent every time the broadcast switched to the player cams.

nafany was caught by the broadcast raging at his teammates towards the end of the series, emphasizing just how important this match was to both teams.

That spice was also evident on the server on the first map, as both teams battled and scrambled to clinch a hard-fought Overpass, but things fizzled out on Anubis and then Ancient as Cloud9 stamped their authority on the series and took two comfortable victories. Kirill "⁠Boombl4⁠" Mikhailov's vastly improved performance with the Big Green was certainly a key factor in ensuring Cloud9 were in control.

Cloud9 now have another regional bout to contend with if they want to make the main event at IEM Katowice, as Virtus.pro await them in the next round of the lower bracket. Abay "⁠HObbit⁠" Khassenov called it a "very special" match in a post-game interview, whilst hoping his team would put up a "good fight" after being battered in their previous bout with Virtus.pro.

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2024 Play-in
02/02/2024	Virtus.pro 16:30 Cloud9	Match

Overpass was a real barn-burner in this elimination match, with both Cloud9 and BetBoom putting together excellent rounds as well as throwing at other times to mid-round blunders. HObbit was in sublime individual form and Boombl4 was surprisingly effective with the AWP, but the rest of the team struggled badly, allowing an Aleksandr "⁠zorte⁠" Zagodyrenko-inspired BetBoom to hobble across the line in the fourth overtime.

Anubis and Ancient were an entirely different story as Cloud9 were quite comfortably the better team on both maps. The previously absent Cloud9 members warmed up, Cloud9's protocols and strat booked seemed far more developed, and BetBoom simply didn't have enough in their locker to prevent themselves being eliminated from the tournament.