Gambit Esports Are the Winners of IEM Katowice!

After initial problems, Gambit Esports and Virtus.pro both made it to the playoffs via the Lower Bracket. There, the teams competed against the favorites for the event and managed to make it through. In the Grand Finals, Gambit were the ones to eventually clinch the trophy on a 3-1 scoreline.

The Grand Finals kicked off with a close first map. Thanks to the heroics of Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gajinskis and Dzhami “Jame” Ali, Virtus.pro defeated Gambit on a 16-14 scoreline. After this map, they actually moved over to VP’s pick, Dust2, next. There, they could have achieved a quick 2-0, but Gambit wrecked them with a 16-6 victory and announced themselves as a serious contender for the Grand Finals. Only Sanjar “SANJI” Kuliev managed to hold a positive rating, the rest completely broke down. Train was even worse, as VP only acquired a total of four round wins. Suddenly, they stood with their backs against the wall, and Gambit only had to secure another map win. After a 11-4 half on Overpass, they soon held a 15-9 lead. Despite a small comeback from VP, they couldn’t be stopped and eventually secured the Grand Finals victory on a 16-12 scoreline.

HOBBIT IS BACK

After his Major victory in the Fall of 2017, things became quiet around Abay “Hobbit” Khassenov. The (back then) young Kazakh was one of the heavy lifters for Gambit as they secured the PGL Major Krakow trophy. But in the months and years to follow, the team slowly descended in the rankings and so did Hobbit too. After stints with HellRaisers and Winstrike, both of which didn’t get him back to the top, he went back to Gambit – playing for the Youngsters, though. After the development team showed promising results, the players were elevated to the main roster. This took place in last October and since then, the team has been on a steady upward trajectory. The same holds true for Hobbit.

At Gambit Youngsters, Hobbit was the in-game-leader. Upon transitioning to the main roster, Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov was elected shotcaller, after which Hobbit rose from a 0.90 rating to a 1.18 rating. He managed to show this level of play in the Grand Finals as well. On the second-to-last map, Train, he displayed a phenomenal 2.07 rating with 25 kills. Alongside Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov, who has been the team’s top player for a long time, he managed to lift Gambit to new heights.

WILL GAMBIT REMAIN AT THE TOP?

After two straight victories in the Katowice Play-Ins, they unfortunately fell to Evil Geniuses. In the Lower Bracket, Gambit fought through mousesports, Heroic, and G2 Esports. In the playoffs, they mounted victories over Natus Vincere and Team Spirit, which landed them a spot in the Grand Finals. Their take-downs at this event have been impressive, as they have beaten some of the top favorites.

But still, they haven’t faced and beaten Astralis, Team Vitality, and Liquid yet. Even though they beat Virtus.pro, who themselves had defeated these teams prior, this doesn’t automatically mean that Gambit would be able do the same. Their biggest opponent, however, will be the increased attention on the roster. No team will underestimate them now and all the other shotcallers will work to find weak spots in nafany’s leadership style. A tournament victory on this level is definitely not enough to announce Gambit as the strongest roster on the planet. But if they can maintain their level, they certainly deserve a place among the best.