The first post-Major tournament is underway with IEM Dallas 2023, and Heroic and G2 Esports find themselves already in the Playoffs after the opening day. We’re taking a deep dive into their openers to see how they made it through.
Heroic’s Path to Playoffs
A happy day for Heroic. Credit: IEM on Twitter
The Heroic CS:GO run at IEM Dallas 2023 kicked off with a match against 9z. A 16:9 scoreline was flattering to 9z, who never looked like threatening Heroic’s place. It was a victory that showed exactly why this Heroic CS:GO team are absolute mentality monsters. After their crushing defeat at the hands of GamerLegion in the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, it would have been easy for the team to still be reeling from the disappointment. But cadiaN has proven time and time again to be the master of restoring mentality on the server, with no setback too great to come back from.
The Heroic CS:GO schedule then saw them face MOUZ in a late-night best-of-three. It was ultimately more a test of endurance than anything else. The first map on Mirage was Heroic’s with ease. in a dominating 16:6. The second map was more of a challenge. The team top of our IEM Dallas 2023 power rankings found themselves 8:1 down, but they didn’t fancy a map three. Mounting a comeback to close out the first half 8:7, the Heroic CS:GO team eventually took the game 16:10 to confirm their playoff spot.
The G2 Esports Openers
Easy for NiKo. Credit: IEM on Twitter
After failing to win the final CS:GO Major, G2 Esports arrived at IEM Dallas 2023 with a point to prove. Much was made during the first day about HooXi’s body language in matches and interviews, which was dejected throughout even despite the victories. Rumors have been floating about his future, and perhaps he knows something we don’t. Only time will tell, but for now, he’s got a tournament to win.
G2 Esports’ opener was a totally one-sided affair. NA team Nouns were playing on home soil at IEM Dallas 2023, but could only muster up a 16:5 defeat to G2 Esports. The team then faced a long wait for their best-of-three to kick off, later in the night.
When G2 Esports’ match against OG did arrive, again they just never looked troubled. OG are a team playing for themselves at the moment, with contracts expiring and two stand-ins on the roster. It showed on the server. G2 Esports looked more cohesive in every way, and a 16:2 opener on Mirage showed just how wide that gulf in class truly was. We then went to Inferno to see out the inevitable, where G2 Esports took another convincing 16:9 victory. It was a relief for the team, and if they can keep this sort of form up they can find themselves among the IEM Dallas 2023 favorites.
Both Heroic and G2 Esports will now face off against one another in the Group A Upper Bracket, in a crucial match that will decide which of the two teams move on instantly to the Semi-Finals of IEM Dallas 2023, and who will have to fight it out in the Quarter-Finals. With both teams in irresistible form, it promises to be a great CS:GO match.
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