The review of the IEM Sydney group stage

The group stage of IEM XII — Sydney was finished yesterday. While participants, who have got to the final stage, are having a rest, we will make an analysis of the group stage, will sum-up and tell about answers to some questions, which have been asked previously in our preview.

SK Gaming

First of all, we would like to mention the Brazilian team SK Gaming. The team had not been able to stabilize its condition and performance for a long time before the victory at cs_summit. After its triumph at cs_summit, lots of viewers, cyber-sportsmen and analysts had the following question: «Was the victory of SK Gaming at cs_summit a good set of circumstances, a luck or a deserved victory?»

The answer to this question was received during the group stage. A lot of people agree that its victory at cs_summit was deserved enough. Some representatives of the CS:GO community seemed that the victory was gained due to the absence of the strongest teams in the tournament. However, Brazilians have proved at Intel Extreme Masters Sydney that they have been in a good shape again and can overcome the strongest teams in the world.

Having won three teams at the group stage, SK Gaming has held the 1st place with a 3-0 statistic and got to the playoff of the tournament. Besides these, Brazilians have received the weakest opponent among teams, which have been left, in the first round. This means that SK Gaming will come out to the Grand Final with a high probability and will fight against the winner of the match FaZe Clan vs Astralis for the 1st place at the tournament.

North and OpTic Gaming

After the end of the group stage, we have received the answer to one more question, which had been asked in the preview: «How far will North and OpTic Gaming go as they have not seen the title of the champion for more than 4 months?». Many analysts and users thought North to be in a much advantageous condition than OpTic Gaming and would be able to come out to the playoff. The statistic of recent matches and the team’s performance had said about this, especially if the decay of OpTic Gaming have been had in mind. Despite the strongest team, according to results of the group stage, to face Americans, OpTic Gaming has already done a great work and rightly got in the top-4. We will discover soon if the semi-final match is the last for them.

Chiefs eSports Club

Chiefs eSports Club could show the most interesting and unusual performance. The Australian newcomers, of whom there were known a little, have come to the professional CS:GO scene and proved what they are worth. They have faced on their way such teams as Astralis, Renegades, North and OpTic Gaming, which has played twice with them. The preview’s question «What will newcomers of the professional CS:GO scene, Chiefs eSports Club be able to show?» can be asked in the following way: Chiefs eSports Club could show a nice game and make a surprise for opponents, who expected nothing. I think that Chiefs will appear at the professional tournament, at least, one more time. It is worth considering that lots of analysts, viewers and other representatives of the CS:GO community said that Chiefs were an obvious outsiders and would hold the 8th place at the tournament but Australians proved that everyone was grossly mistaken and held the 5th place having lost in the crucial match against the team OpTic with a score 10:16. Despite this, Chiefs eSports Club could destroy the team Renegades, which were thought to be the strongest representative of Australia, with a score 16-5. However, the first part was played «dry» by Chiefs with a score 15-0. Such course of events is very rare but Chiefs could show a very entertaining game. The second surprise from Chiefs has become the fact that Australians have overcome the Danish team North, which, according to forecasts, had to come out to the playoff stage. This match has become decisive and the last for the team North.

FaZe and Astralis

As for FaZe Clan and Astralis, they have done everything they were supposed to do and almost surprised no one. FaZe Clan together with the Danish team as SK Gaming were in the top 3 strongest teams, according to analysts and the fact that two representatives of the best triplet will face each other in the final is not a surprise.

Renegades and Vici Gaming have not surprised the public too, having held the 7th and the 8th places accordingly.

The final stage of the tournament starts tomorrow. Two interesting matches in a best-of-three format. Who will come out to the Grand Final, will struggle for the main prize and will become the champion of Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2017? We will discover these soon.