Liquid defeat Wildcard to qualify for Katowice Stage 2

Twistzz's troops make it through the Play-In with spirits high after a 13-0 demolition job on Anubis.

Liquid have punched their ticket to Stage 2 of IEM Katowice 2025 after a 2-0 victory over Wildcard in an all-Americas elimination clash.

Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken and Roland "⁠ultimate⁠" Tomkowiak led the way for Liquid, who left it late to secure the win on Inferno before cruising through the second game on Anubis, where they didn't let their opponents get a single round.

After a disappointing loss to HEROIC on the first day, Liquid seem to be growing with each game. The victory puts them on a collision course with The MongolZ in what will be the first-ever match between the two sides.

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2025
02/02/2025	The MongolZ 13:30 Liquid	Match

The Mongolians have not played a single match since the Shanghai Major, having skipped BLAST Bounty earlier this month.

"Katowice is a good benchmark for where we're at as a team," Twistzz said in a pre-match interview. "It's our first real test."

Liquid run wild on Anubis

Liquid qualify for Stage 2 by defeating two North American rivals, both by 2-0 scorelines. They knew how important it was to get this win in two maps to avoid playing Dust2, which has long been an issue for them.

They were certainly not happy about how close Inferno got in the end, having won the map only in overtime after squandering a 9-3 lead, but they simply gave Wildcard no chance on Anubis.

The performance showcased the roster's potential as different players showed up at different times. Keith "⁠NAF⁠" Markovic played a decisive role in the final stages of Inferno, Guy "⁠NertZ⁠" Iluz came alive on Anubis, and Twistzz and ultimate were fantastic throughout.

The Polish player raised eyebrows with a 2.29 rating on the second map, his highest-ever LAN rating on record and his second-highest overall.

Wildcard fizzle out after grueling day

It's a disappointing end to Wildcard's tournament run, though they should still be commended for their furious rally and comeback from 3-9 down on Inferno after a slow start. They then fell flat in overtime as Liquid adjusted their pace, and never really got into the game on Anubis.

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2025 Play-in
29/01/2025	Wildcard Finished 2:0 BIG	Match
31/01/2025	Wildcard Finished 1:2 FURIA	Match
31/01/2025	Liquid Finished 2:0 Wildcard	Match

As the series wore on, tiredness from Wildcard's previous series, a three-map affair against FURIA that came down to the wire, perhaps took a toll on the players. On X, Tim "⁠susp⁠" Ångström revealed after the series that he was "mentally exhausted."

Wildcard will have two weeks to recover and work on their mistakes before PGL Cluj-Napoca begins on February 14.