IEM Cologne quarterfinals preview!

Then they were six. One of the most important events of the Counter-Strike calendar is entering its final stage. In the semis await Vitality and Spirit in the need of an opponents. MOUZ, FURIA, Natus Vincere and The MongolZ will battle it out on Friday to make it to the next step. Let's have a look at our two quarterfinals.

MOUZ vs FURIA

If finding MOUZ in the playoffs is no surprise, FURIA's improvement is remarkable. Yes, FalleN is back at the LANXESS arena for the first time since 2017! The Godfather of Brazilian Counter-Strike had to wait almost a decade to set foot on the stage once again. His squad will enter the playoffs with the moniker of challengers but they could give MOUZ a run for their money.

FURIA's path to the playoffs

YEKINDAR and his teammates had to start at the very first step. During Stage 1, they already caught everybody's attention when they absolutely demolished Astralis to seal their main event berth. In this BO3, the Danes never stood a chance.

Yet the greatest upset came a little later, during the group stage. In the Group A lower bracket semi-final, FURIA went up against Falcons, in a match-up seemingly impossible. After having lost their own map pick decidedly (13:7 on Train in favor of Falcons), FalleN and co. turned their fate around. Spearheaded by KSCERATO on Mirage, FURIA forced Dust2 as a decided. On such a "skill-based map", Falcons should have had a field day but YEKINDAR and molody had a different idea. The two most recent recruits put up a clinic (1.70 and 1.51 rating respectively) to eliminate kyousuke, m0NESY and NiKo. In the following game, G2 put FURIA to the test on the second map during which an impressive comeback was required for the newly international squad of FURIA to prevail.

MOUZ's path to the playoffs

As already stated, MOUZ clearly are main stays when it comes to playoffs. It comes to nobody's surprise to find them at this stage of IEM Cologne. Their first two clashes reflect this level of comfort. Liquid could never make it to double digit on either maps and Natus Vincere barely broke the 10-rounds mark per map as well. As MOUZ entered the server against Spirit, they were already qualified for LANXESS.

What we can take from their last confrontation is a possible weakness on Overpass. The first two maps were of extremely high quality. Both Ancient and Mirage needed one or multiple overtimes to find the winner. MOUZ looked as competitive as Spirit, minus the donk factor of course. On Overpass though, the offense lacked innovation and pizzaz as they only scored four rounds.

Firepower comparison

Matching up with MOUZ's roster is a rough ask. The young squad has one of most balanced skill continuum at the highest level. There is no real weakness on the MOUZ side. Plus, you genuinely have four players capable of round defining sparks. When it comes to FURIA, we believe molodoy's input will be paramount. On top of that, YEKINDAR has shown his potential impact on a couple of maps. His ability to find success in his entry role will be an X factor beyond any doubt.

The MongolZ vs Natus Vincere

Another event, another loss to Vitality for The MongolZ. Yet, no cause for alarm as things are. Senzu and his squad still find themselves in LANXESS, another significant step in confirming their status. Against them come Natus Vincere, fresh off the jL / makazze roster change. If the rookie is yet to find his marks in his new jersey, some other forces within the squad have awaken, as we'll talk about.

The MongolZ's path

Kicking things off already in the main event, bLitz toyed with 3DMAX first. There never was any real doubt in this game. The clash against Falcons turned into another opportunity for The MongolZ to showcase how deep their skill tank goes. Senzu displayed another MVP-like performance with 1.56 rating, followed by the ever so promising 910 on the AWP (with 1.27 rating). More impressive maybe is the fact that they completely shut down m0NESY who had a stinker of a series (0.76 rating) feat rare enough to mention. Unfortunately, The MongolZ broke their teeth against the Vitality wall once more and were forced to take the scenic route in the playoffs.

Natus Vincere survive

Even if high expectations were in the air for makazze, the new NaVi recruit, we know how their system works. So much so that this level of success at an extremely early stage is quite impressive. Blad3, historical coach, never misses an opportunity to explain how important time is in implementing a new and unexperienced player into a system. On an individual basis, makazze may struggle a little bit, but the overall machine remains decently well oiled. We say that, but we'd be remiss not to mention that Natus Vincere had to employ themselves against Ninjas in Pyjamas, to close the third and final map 13:11. Once this hurdle passed, it felt like Aleksib and his teammates were lighter on their feet versus FaZe as they outclassed them quite clearly.

What about the firepower?

Looking at the numbers, we might wonder what kind of sorcery iM has been displaying. This type of performance is reminiscent of his Paris Major run in Gamerlegion, during which he was a prime MVP candidate up until the final game. Worries and concerns will land at makazze's feet who has seemed, at times, a little lost and lagging behind. Nothing that we cannot excuse at this stage in his career but this will prove problematic versus The MongolZ. Now, when it comes to pure firepower, we believe Natus Vincere can match up with The MongolZ. The issue will most likely come from the longer tenure of bLitz and his crew, amounting to cleaner executions and smoother decision-making process when the pressure hits.