Cloud9 has surprised MIBR with a convincing win over their new-look roster. This now pushes Cloud9 into the 1-0 pool in the New Legends stage at the IEM Katowice Major.
RIP all C9 0-3 Pick'Ems ¯_(ツ)_/¯#C9CSGO defeats @mibr 16-3 in the first match of the #IEM Katowice 2019 Legends Stage! #C9WIN pic.twitter.com/JJbeCwqUEl
— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) February 20, 2019
Cloud9 is coming from a decent performance at the New Challengers stage. They were able to finish the stage with a 3-2 record, taking down Greyhound Gaming, FURIA, and Winstrike Team. The 2018 Boston Major champions are playing without their in-game leader, Maikil “Golden” Selim. Instead, they are playing with current stand-in, Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro, who has recently started to play a bit better with the team.
On the other hand, MIBR is coming into the tournament with a revamped Brazilian lineup. The team replaced Tarik “tarik” Celik and Jacky “Stewie2K” Yip with Epitácio “TACO” de Melo and João “felps” Vasconcellos. Additionally, they brought over Wilton “zews” Prado as head coach over from Team Liquid. They wanted to try to find synergy by returning the team to its roots, especially with how disappointing their 2018 had gone with their mixed roster.
Cloud9 dismantles MIBR
Many people expected MIBR to stay close in score with Cloud9, who hasn’t been having a strong tournament. However, it would be a complete opposite. After trading the first rounds of the map, Cloud9 would go on a huge run on their CT side. They would reach the half with a commanding 12-3 lead, and the opening match for this brand-new MIBR was looking grim. The second half of Inferno was a no-show from the supposed Brazilian super team, as Cloud9 would cruise to a strong 16-3 victory. Timothy “autimatic” Ta was a front runner for Cloud9, leading the team with seventeen kills and only four deaths. His 1.66 HLTV rating led the entire server, while William “RUSH” Wierzba controlled the pace with an impressive 101.8 ADR.
Meanwhile, MIBR simply showed up very flat in their first game as a team. Their firepower was unreliable throughout the entire game, but they were playing the match like they were performing really well. For example, MIBR utilized the last-second retake strategy a few times during the match but with all of their players playing off, it was never effective enough. It goes to show that this roster still has plenty of problems to work on before they can become a powerhouse in the CSGO scene. Epitacio ‘TACO‘ de Melo, João ‘felps‘ Vasconcellos and Gabriel ‘FalleN‘ Toledo all finished with HLTV ratings less than 0.50.
Looking Forward
With this win, Cloud9 moves forward to face Astralis in round two of the New Legends stage. Although this will be a tough task to take, Cloud9 seems to be up to the challenge. Meanwhile, MIBR just took down compLexity Gaming on Mirage. However, they did not look too strong in that match as well, and must work hard to be able to take down some of the top teams in the Katowice Major. We will need to wait and see if these two teams will be able to get through the New Legends stage at the Major, or if they’ll be going home early.
What are your thoughts on Cloud9 beating MIBR at IEM Katowice Major? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more Katowice Major coverage, check us out here!
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