IEM Summer’s Top Teams

The Intel Extreme Masters Summer rendition is bound to go live soon. Some of the best teams in the world are making an appearance again. Even though the winners of Flashpoint Season 3 won’t be taking part, we can sit back and enjoy the competition between the likes of Heroic, Gambit, and G2. Which teams will be able to set themselves on top within such a competitive playing field?

Group A is spearheaded by Gambit, Vitality, Complexity, Astralis, FPX, Extra Salt, G2, and the runners-up of the National Championships, Sprout. The Brazilians of Imperial are facing Evil Geniuses, Team Spirit, NiP, OG, Fnatic, and Virtus.pro in Group B. Just like mousesports, FaZe Clan had failed to qualify.

So what are the Flashpoint Top Four’s chances to succeed here? The Ninjas in Pyjamas made it all the way to the Grand Finals and even though they lost, they’re still the frontrunners of the IEM playing field. To be able to secure such a placement this shortly after incorporating Nicolai “device” Reedtz is quite an achievement. But now, the other teams have lots of demo material on the new lineup. They can start drafting strats and counters to the Ninjas. So if device and his team don’t work hard to stay ahead of the rest, their success won’t last them very long.

WHAT’S UP WITH HEROIC AND GAMBIT?

The two sides start the tournament off in different groups. After the CIS team had played out their respective RMR event (and won it as well), it stands to question whether they’re still on par with the rest of Europe. After all, G2 Esports have made great strides at Flashpoint. Their Danish rivals of Heroic aren’t as strong anymore. Even though they made the Top 4 at Flashpoint, they are miles away from the dominant form they displayed at ESL Pro League, for instance.

Since the Upper Bracket will offer two teams the opportunity to make playoffs, these teams should all make it through comfortably. Even if one of the rosters falls down to the Lower Bracket, there’s still one playoffs spot up for grabs. So even the shakier teams like Vitality and OG will get a shot at making Quarter Finals.

Things are looking bleak for Evil Geniuses and fnatic. Since Ethan “Ethan” Arnold and Tarik “tarik” Celik departed, the roster has been unable to recover. Michał “MICHU” Müller really doesn’t seem to be the answer to their problems. Even in the national competition at cs_summit, they made last place. So how are they supposed to compete with Team Spirit in the Opening Match of IEM Summer already? If they haven’t had a breakthrough moment in recent days, they are already primed for an early exit.

The same holds true for fnatic. Jack “Jackinho” Ström Mattsson apparently needs some more time to make true on his promise. Jesper “JW” Wecksell is going through a personal slump, which means that the team only has limited star power available. The results go to show that their system isn’t working out at all.

WHO WILL GRAB THE TROPHY OF IEM?

After Flashpoint, we finally know that the top teams aren’t invincible. Heroic have lost their status as frontrunners, while Gambit have also shown weakness at their national event. NiP and G2 are rising stars, whose potential and skill ceiling are yet to be determined. So the upcoming Intel Extreme Masters will be a test for the established teams and a chance for the underdogs to surpass them. Even though G2, NiP, Gambit, and Heroic have a legitimate shot at the trophy, there finally isn’t any clear favorite in sight.

The Group Phase will kick off on the 3rd of June and will provide us with action from both groups. While the Opening Matches are being held as Best-of-Ones, the Best-of-Three format will accompany us for the Lower and Upper Bracket games to follow.