After a two-month hiatus for the reason that finish of the IEM Rio Main in November, the combat for the million-dollar prize will begin as soon as once more.
Intel Excessive Masters Katowice 2023 will formally begin on February 1st, marking the start of the 12 months’s first big-venue occasion in entrance of a crowd. The competitors will characteristic twenty-four of the world’s most expert groups, together with the entire prime ten sides on the HLTV rankings. These groups will compete to embroider their names into the wealthy tapestry that’s Counter-Strike lore with a triumph at certainly one of CSGO’s most esteemed tournaments.
The Grand Slam, which had its closing featured competitors within the type of the IEM Rio Main in November, presents a prize pot of one million {dollars} together with literal gold bars to every group member of the primary group to win 4 main ESL tournaments. This should occur throughout the course of 10 occasions since their first success, and these tournaments should embrace IEM Katowice, IEM Cologne, or an ESL Main.
At this level, FaZe are the more than likely candidates to stroll away with the gold and the cash. After profitable IEM Katowice 2022, ESL Professional League Season 15, and IEM Cologne 2022, the squad led by Finn “karrigan” Andersen has collected three of the mandatory 4 wins to finish the IGS.
FaZe might have already gained it had it not been for 2 back-to-back failed campaigns within the type of ESL Professional League Season 16 and the IEM Rio Main, which drove their goals and ambitions of Intel Grand Slam glory again to the beginning of the brand new 12 months. Now the squad has 4 tournaments in hand to say the prize.
Copyright: ESL
The multi-national squad will probably be the fourth group in CSGO historical past to perform the feat, following within the footsteps of Astralis, Staff Liquid, and Natus Vincere. The victory can even be a private excessive level for Russel “Twizz” Van Dulken, who would be the first participant to win a second Grand Slam, having already executed so with Liquid in 2019.
Along with FaZe, three extra groups are in competition for the IGS prize. These groups are fairly a way behind with one level every to FaZe’s three. These embrace Cloud9 for profitable IEM Dallas, Staff Vitality for having gained ESL Professional League Season 16, and Outsiders for his or her resounding triumph on the IEM Rio Main.
Listed here are the tournaments which have already taken place and their winners in Season 4 of the IGS:
- IEM Winter 2021 – Vitality (France) (not relevant due to core roster modifications)
- IEM Katowice 2022 – FaZe (Europe)
- ESL Professional League Season 15 – FaZe (Europe)
- IEM Dallas 2022 – Cloud9 (Russia)
- IEM Cologne 2022 – FaZe (Europe)
- ESL Professional League Season 16 – Vitality (Europe)
- IEM Rio Main – Outsiders (Russia)
- IEM Katowice 2023 – TBD