The play-ins for IEM Cologne are kicking off soon, allowing teams to get their spot in the prestigious IEM Cologne 2021 tournament.
Some high ranked teams like NIP and mousesports are practically guaranteed to reign supreme, but who knows what underdogs like MIBR or Bad News Bears might bring to the table.
The opening rounds
NIP vs LDLC
NIP is the favourite of these Play-ins, currently number five in the world, with device finally having found his place in the team and being able to lift the team to greatness. Their opponent LDLC is working on a slow but steady climb ranking wise, but they should not be giving NIP too hard of a time.
Bad News Bears vs mousesports
Sadly, for the Bad News Bears, their opponent is bad news. This is a classic case of NA CS simply not matching up with European CS. Mousesports has recently achieved a significant peak in ranking due to strong Flashpoint 3 performance, beating NIP in the Grand Final. The team seems to be in good form, and the expectation is that they continue this without fail, landing mousesports the win.
Spirit vs MIBR
The Brazilian squad started 2021 strong, continuing their ascend and returning to a more stable ranking. Sadly, things have started going downhill since March. A weak result in the ESL Pro League marked this, and while their regional performance might be strong, it totally does not transfer to the international scene. Spirit has also recently experienced a decline in performance, but their all-around recent showings have been better and their HLTV ranking is far higher.
Renegades vs Vitality
The Australian squad is a fan favourite, but in this battle the French will most likely reign supreme. Vitality recently experienced some struggles, with mediocre performances at DreamHack Masters Spring and Flashpoint. They corrected slightly for IEM Summer and are still much stronger than Renegades are right now. Renegades will simply not be able to fight off the French powerhouse that is Vitality.
OG vs TeamOne
OG has been doing an excellent job as of late, their IEM Summer performance showing strong signs that they may just continue that trend. With a second place there, they might just well try it again. OG is one of those teams that will undoubtedly provide interesting CS to watch. TeamOne is another one of those Brazilian squads with a less than stellar collection of results. Another relatively clear cut case, where OG should be the eventual winner.
Sprout vs BIG
Home favour for the Germans, along with a clear ranking advantage means that this should be an easy enough matchup with their countrymen. Sprout has suffered a steep decline after their ESEA Season 37 performance, nor did they play very well at IEM Summer. BIG on the other hand recently impressed at Gamers Without Borders, netting a first place. These two factors combined lead to BIG being favoured in this battle, and further in the tournament.
Evil Geniuses vs FaZe
This could easily be one of the most interesting matches in the tournament, seeing as how close these teams are up against each other. Evil Geniuses are the better ranked team and could most certainly fight to defend the North American pride. The squad has number one potential and has proven it in the past. FaZe on the other hand has been incredibly disappointing, their ranking at the lowest point it has even been. This should be in Evil Geniuses their hands.
Complexity vs ViCi
The diverse European squad that has been fielding middle of the road results whenever they have to fight things out in the big leagues faces the Asian number one. It would be an incredibly exciting opportunity for ViCi to get a chance in the top of the international scene, seeing as Asian teams have rarely found a breakthrough to a level of European CS.
Regardless of that Complexity is still favoured, ViCi rarely even faces off against European teams and will most likely not be qualified to deal with their opponent.
The bottom line
The teams favoured in the opening rounds are the most likely to be winning in these play-ins altogether, meaning they can secure a position in IEM Cologne and perhaps find themselves facing off against the current titans of CS such as Gambit and Natus Vincere. As always there is a chance for underdogs to get in this way, so who knows what sort of spectacle they will deliver. May the best win.
Also read:
What are your predictions? Join the discussion on social media or our Discord!
You can also help improve our website by submitting direct feedback!