CSGO 2: Team Spirits Clean Sweep Faze Clan At IEM Katowice 2024

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By: Hypron || Feb 12, 2024

Spirit have won IEM Katowice 2024 with a 3-0 victory over FaZe, finishing up a faultless run in Poland that saw them drop only one map.

Danil “⁠donk⁠” Kryshkovets, the world’s finest player, proved his capacity to perform under pressure. The 17-year-old finished the tournament with a staggering 1.70 rating, matching Nikola “⁠NiKo⁠” Kovač’s record from ESL One New York 2017.

After the contest, James “⁠BanKs⁠” Banks asked Donk if he was the best on the planet, but he remained evasive. “I don’t know,” he answered. “We will see.”

FaZe made it competitive at times, nearly taking Mirage to overtime. However, the series demonstrated Spirit’s lead in terms of raw firepower as we approach the European RMRs and the Copenhagen Major. Every round FaZe won felt like a tremendous grind as if they needed to play immaculate CS to win. Spirit’s rounds, on the other hand, went quite smoothly, with them winning the majority of aim duels and capitalizing on their opponents’ blunders.

Nuke

ANOTHER triple from @donk1337 to close out Nuke 🤯#IEM pic.twitter.com/JmXu4o2Nzm
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) February 11, 2024

Spirit started strong in game one at Nuke, winning five of the first six rounds as the CT side before FaZe tied things up at 6-6 at halftime. However, the Russian squad showcased their muscles as the T side, going on a 7-3 run in the second half to win their first map of the series by a comfortable 13-9 margin.

Donk’s performance in game one was nothing short of fantastic, with 32 kills (including 17 headshots) and two assists on 14 deaths for a stunning 2.06 rating.

Mirage

.@donk1337 continues to wreak havoc, now on Mirage 💥#IEM pic.twitter.com/Trv1WO3QYo
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) February 11, 2024

FaZe put up a greater fight in game two at Mirage, with the CT side leading 7-5 at halftime. But Spirit turned the tables after the side changeover, winning seven of the first eight rounds of the second half to grab a commanding 12-8 lead.

While FaZe scored the next three rounds to keep things interesting, Spirit won the map 13-11 and now leads the series 2-0.

Spirit’s game two victory was not just due to donk, but AWPer Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov also put on a show. Donk finished with 24 kills (15 headshots) and four assists on 18 deaths for a 1.55 rating, while Shi1ro had 20 kills (7 headshots) and two assists on 13 deaths for a 1.26 rating.

Overpass

THE SPRAYCONTROL 🤯

GET DONKED ON.@donk1337 #IEM pic.twitter.com/01CDAdlilw
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) February 11, 2024

Donk and Spirit saved their strongest performance for last, defeating FaZe 13-3 in Overpass to complete the 3-0 sweep and win the IEM Katowice 2024 championship.

Spirit won six consecutive rounds as the CT side before FaZe recorded their only round win of the first half, which ended 11-1 in favour of the Russian club. FaZe then showed signs of life, winning the first two rounds of the second half before Spirit took the next two to secure the deal.

Donk delivered a masterclass to wrap out the series, ending with 26 kills (13 headshots) and one assist on just eight deaths for an amazing 2.38 rating.

Spirit Winning IEM Katowice 2024

Donk’s flawless performance throughout the tournament earned him MVP honours, as expected. Donk set an IEM Katowice record rating of 1.70 across 12 maps, which is even more remarkable given that this was his first S-tier competition.

Donk’s performance was so impressive that even the official CS2 X (previously Twitter) account had to joke with FaZe about trying to stop him in the middle of the Grand Finals.

Donk and Spirit won the lion’s share of the $1 million prize fund at IEM Katowice 2024, totaling $400,000. They also qualified directly for IEM Cologne 2024, the BLAST Premier World Final, and the Esports World Cup 2024.

Meanwhile, FaZe settled for second place and a $180,000 consolation prize.