Group A
Day 1 of IEM Katowice kicked off as the Chinese invitees
Invictus Gaming took on Europe’s
Fnatic in the first game of Group A. Fnatic seemed unprepared in the face of iG's aggressive Yasuo, and fell beneath an onslaught of dives.
Millenium faced
KT Rolster Bullets, bringing out an unusual pick in top lane Lulu, but their lack of bulk allowed Ryu's Nidalee to poke them out of the game.
KT B progressed to battle iG for a spot in the bracket stage of the tournament, and ran into trouble as iG's illuSioN terrorized the KT B lanes with his Wukong. After an exhausting mid game, inSec managed to steal Baron with a combination of Taste Their Fear and Smite, and KT B's superior map movement would see them take another win. The losers' bracket saw Millenium knocked out of the tournament by Fnatic, despite two curveball picks in Hecarim and Zilean from Araneae and Jree, respectively.
Group B
Group B began with
Taipei Assassins and
Gambit Gaming in a callback to both the Season 2 World Championship and IPL 5. For Gambit Gaming, third time was unfortunately not the charm as Morning laid siege to Gambit's base with Ziggs.
Cloud 9's first meeting with an Asian team warranted success, as they defeated the much-hyped Team WE. Morgana was once again the weapon that would bring down another Chinese team as LemonNation played the Fallen Angel superbly.
C9's second meeting with an Asian team also went favorably, as Meteos and Hai ran circles around Morning's Ziggs and Bebe's Ezreal with Kha'Zix and LeBlanc. TPA's siege engine was broken by aggressive rotations from C9, giving the NA LCS team a berth in the bracket stage while TPA were sent to the losers' bracket.
Day 2
Group A concluded with an act of vengeance, as Fnatic crippled Invictus Gaming by banning out Zzitai's Yasuo. Cyanide's Elise made short work of illuSioN's Fiddlesticks, while Morgana continued to be the bane of the Chinese teams as YellOwStar caught Kid and Kitties with multiple Dark Bindings.
European teams continued to have a good day as Gambit Gaming registered their first win against Team WE. WeiXiao and Conan continued to struggle against Morgana, while Darien's signature Aatrox ruled the day. Against the Taipei Assassins, Gambit opted to mimic Fnatic by banning the cause of their loss – Morning's Ziggs. Diamond's Lee Sin matched DinTer's Evelynn at every step, earning Gambit's first win against TPA.
Cloud 9 and Fnatic faced off in the semifinal in their third meeting, and the result would be much like their Season 3 World Championship match – two intense, well-fought games with both teams claiming one win, and an unfortunate early death from LemonNation leading to a quick snowball from Fnatic in Game 3 (and Morgana's first loss of the tournament).
The KT Rolster Bullets took on Gambit Gaming in a rematch of MLG Winter 2013 , and propelled themselves to a lead with a strategy mimicking the KT Rolster Arrows, utilizing a Kha'Zix/Gragas combo in tandem with Shen and Karma. Game 2 proved to be the most exciting game of the tournament as the Bullets threw away a convincing lead to allow Gambit to take control. A split-second decision by KT B to have Leopard stall Gambit while the rest of the team took out the Russians' Nexus proved successful, and many fans were reminded of xPeke's incredible backdoor at IEM Katowice 2013.
Day 3
The Grand Final saw Fnatic and the KT Rolster Bulletsplay each other for the first time, and KT B decided to borrow Fnatic's Morgana after seeing its success against the Chinese teams. Mafa managed to shut down YellOwStar's signature Leona, taking Game 1 after a close tug-of-war. Game 2 truly heralded inSec's return to the jungle, as his Kha'Zix outwitted Fnatic's dive composition for a second win despite a valiant effort from xPeke's Gragas. In true KT B fashion, IEM Katowice was finished with masterful play from inSec's Lee Sin in Game 3, a champion which he had not been permitted to play by most other teams.
In winning the Intel Extreme Masters Season 8 Championship, the KT Rolster Bullets left their mark on the international scene, not dropping a single game to foreign opponents. Yet, IEM Katowice was still an exciting mix of international talent, something that has been missed since the Season 3 World Championship. As the 2014 All-Star Paris approaches, continue cheering for your favorite region, and keep an eye on their competitors.
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