SPUNJ thinks G2 Will Win IEM Katowice 2023

Analyst and former player Chad SPUNJ Burchill gave his prediction for IEM Katowice 2023 on his Twitter.

What was the Katowice final last year like?

In 2022, G2 and FaZe met in the IEM Katowice Grand Final. At the same time, FaZe played with a stand-in, whose position was Justin jks Savage, who assertув himself at this tournament after a long inactive period.

Unfortunately, the final was not spectacular, because G2 could not impose a fight on FaZe, who were in incredible shape and destroyed the opponent even with a temporary replacement. Then the team became the champion of Katowice, finishing the final with a score of 3-0 and so started their way to the Grand Slam.

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What is left for FaZe the Grand Slam?

FaZe opened the fourth season of the Intel Grand Slam with their victory at IEM Katowice 2022 and won two more ESL events in the 2022 season. However, this is not enough to win the Grand Slam, you need to win 4 tournaments to receive a $1 million prize. And since FaZe started this race, it is this team that has the least chance of winning.

The European team has only 4 ESL tournaments left to take the Grand Slam and become the fourth team in history with such an achievement. FaZe needs to win one of four events: IEM Katowice 2023, ESL Pro League Season 17, IEM Brazil 2023, or IEM Dallas 2023. This is not an easy task considering the uncertainty on stage, as well as the $100k bonus that teams who stop FaZe will receive in the final.

What led SPUNJ to these conclusions?

SPUNJ was guided by the results of BLAST Premier Spring Groups 2023, where G2 and FaZe won the group finals and showed great performance. However, how significant is this tournament?

If we talk about the results of the same tournament in the 2022 season, then Vitality, OG, FaZe, G2, NAVI and BIG got into the top 6. And these results did not match the results of IEM Katowice 2022. Only three BLAST finalists made it to the top 6 of the first ESL tournament of the year.

Especially disappointed were Vitality, who didn't even make it to the playoffs of the tournament, despite their excellent performance at BLAST. Therefore, it is impossible to fully rely on the results of the BLAST groups. The teams play few matches with a limited number of opponents, which reduces the objectivity of assessing the level of the game.

However, despite this, G2 and FaZe really showed incredible form and are the favorites of IEM Katowice 2023.

When will IEM Katowice 2023 take place?

The main stage of the first ESL tournament in 2023 will be held from February 4th to 12th, and the Play-In stage will begin tomorrow. All information about the event is on its page.