Eternal Fire Claim Victory Over HEROIC in a Tense Match at IEM Katowice 2025

On January 30, 2025, the Play-In stage of Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2025 featured numerous exciting matches, but the standout clash of the day was HEROIC vs. Eternal Fire. This match delivered intense action, dramatic moments, and lived up to the title of the most thrilling battle of the day.

HEROIC vs. Eternal Fire

HEROIC picked Nuke as the first map. This was their third-ever encounter against Eternal Fire, and having lost the previous two, they entered the match with something to prove. From the start, it was clear that this would be a close contest, with both teams securing crucial opening frags. HEROIC’s confident gameplay justified their map pick, as they held their own in a tight first half, ending 6-6. In the second half, XANTARES stepped up for Eternal Fire, while jottAAA made a game-changing ultra kill in round 16. This pivotal moment helped Eternal Fire secure a narrow but hard-fought 13-11 victory on Nuke.

Eternal Fire then picked Anubis as their map of choice. Once again, neither team was willing to concede any ground. The first half ended 7-5 in favor of Eternal Fire, but the game remained evenly matched. What followed was a breathtaking display of tactical aggression from both sides. HEROIC mounted an impressive comeback from 7-12, pushing the game into overtime, thanks in part to tN1R's incredible 1v3 clutch in round 21. However, despite their resilience, Eternal Fire proved why they were favorites in this matchup, closing out overtime with a 16-14 win.

With this victory, Eternal Fire advance to the next stage of IEM Katowice 2025, while HEROIC drop to Lower Bracket Round 2, where they will face BIG in the decisive match.