G2 clinch final IEM Katowice playoff spot

Heroic won all four pistols but couldn't withstand the sheer firepower of G2 in gun rounds.

G2 have secured the final spot in the playoffs of IEM Katowice after seeing to the elimination of HEROIC in the lower bracket final of Group B, making up for losing all four pistols by showcasing dominant performances in the gun rounds to net a 2-0 victory (13-9 Vertigo, 13-8 Nuke).

It was a far more dominant win over Damjan "⁠kyxsan⁠" Stoilkovski's side this time around for G2, who didn't have to rely solely on Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov as they had in their opening match.

Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač's overall level remains worrying for a team who are looking to defend their title in Poland, but Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač's renewed form in the lower bracket and level in this series ensured that a trophy defense would at least be possible, especially so on Nuke where the Bosnian rifler mustered a 2.00 rating to take things over the line.

G2's pistol woes and inconsistency in their individuals also are cause of concern as they turn their attention to their quarter-final match against FaZe in the Spodek, with Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen's side much less likely to be the same kind of pushover in weapon rounds. The IEM Katowice 2022 and 2023 champions will do battle on Friday, a match made all the more exciting as their Golden Five coaches, Wiktor "⁠TaZ⁠" Wojtas and Filip "⁠NEO⁠" Kubski, will have to rally the Polish crowd behind their teams.

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2024
09/02/2024	FaZe 16:15 G2	Match

HEROIC got off to a decent start on Vertigo, going up 4-0 after denying a 1v2 clutch attempt from m0NESY, but struggled to consistently overcome the Russian sniper once he had the Big Green in hand as G2 rallied back to post six by the break. Another pistol and conversion from HEROIC after the swap did little to curb that trajectory, and entries from Nemanja "⁠nexa⁠" Isaković and Rasmus "⁠HooXi⁠" Nielsen ensured a swift victory for their side, 13-9.

Nuke unfolded in almost identical fashion, with HEROIC having strong starts to both halves but falling flat against G2 once both teams had guns up. A 5-0 lead for kyxsan's side was left by the wayside as NiKo picked apart HEROIC's defenses and found gaps to flank into Ramp, and the Bosnian continued his tear for the rest of the map, mustering a 2.00 rating, 1.19 KPR, going 5-1 in opening duels, and 2.52 impact en route to his team's victory.