9z outclassed MIBR in the upper bracket BO3 at the play-in stage of IEM Cologne 2024, relegating the latter to the lower bracket with a flawless 2-0 victory. Here’s what went down in the series.Â
Map Veto
- MIBR banned Dust2
- 9z banned Vertigo
- MIBR picked Ancient
- 9z picked Nuke
- MIBR banned Inferno
- 9z banned Anubis
- Mirage was left over
Game 1: Ancient (Pick: MIBR, Win: 9z, Final Score: 16-13)
MIBR found themselves a head start on the T-side of Ancient by grabbing a pistol-round win followed by another win on the anti-eco. They could get themselves the first buy-round of the map as well before 9z retaliated hard. 9z snatched the following round despite being on an eco, and capitalized on their now stronger economy to grab seven rounds in a row to head into the second half with a 7-5 lead.
9z secured the second pistol round on their T-side, but MIBR swiftly countered with a force-buy victory. Undeterred, 9z responded with their force-buy success, only to see MIBR reclaim momentum through another force-buy round. Capitalizing on this advantage, MIBR went on a five-round streak to establish an 11-9 lead. 9z could grab three of the remaining four rounds, forcing the game into overtime.
After grabbing two rounds on the T-side, 9z closed out the game with two consecutive wins on the CT-side to close the game with a 16-13 victory.
Game 2: Nuke (Pick: 9z, Win: 9z, Final Score: 13-3)
Nuke was pretty much a one-sided domination from 9z, who looked extremely comfortable on their map pick as they started it with a pistol-round win on the T-side. A failed force-buy attempt from MIBR enabled 9z to grab two additional rounds before conceding their first. In fact, MIBR could only grab two rounds in the first half as 9z headed to the stronger side of Nuke with an advantage of 10-2.
It didn’t take long for 9z to secure the game as they snatched the CT-side pistol round, which enabled them to grab the remaining three rounds that they needed to end the game with a dominant 13-2 score.
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