Just one more game remains at IEM Dallas 2024. A Grand Final between G2 and Vitality is set to take place on the server, with the two teams going head to head to see who’ll come home with the 100th IEM trophy. For the teams to reach the Final, we saw two awesome match-ups today, with G2 facing 9z and Vitality taking on Spirit. We know who came out on top, but how did they do it? We’ve got the highlights right here!
GStew are going all the way
Credit: IEM on X.
Goodness. G2, who came into IEM Dallas 2024 with Stewie2k making his competitive return as a stand-in, have made it all the way to the Grand Final. NA’s darling will come out onto the big stage for the most unexpected of Grand Finals, after beating 9z in convincing fashion in the Semi-Final.
Frankly, you couldn’t write it. Stewie looks more than capable of handling the demands and pressure of Tier 1 Counter-Strike, despite a two-year break. NiKo looks to be doing a great job as IGL, helping G2 to their first Grand Final of CS2, which may perhaps be bad news for HooXi‘s job prospects going forward. That’s before we even talk about m0NESY, who is in ridiculous form right now. There’s no level of hyperbole for how silly this all is, really. The team that was laughed at pre-tournament for their choice of stand-in are now just one match away from winning it all.
However, the final boss approaches. Vitality beat G2 2:0 earlier in the competition, and it’ll be a tough task to stop the team from rolling G2 over with ease once more. But with this narrative, this stage buff, and this NA crowd cheering on their hometown hero? Anything can happen.
Vitality back on top
Credit: IEM on X.
We finally got the matchup we all craved. Vitality vs. Spirit. ZywOo vs. donk. And honestly? It was more than a little anticlimactic. Vitality had absolutely no struggles dealing with donk, who just couldn’t get going on the server here. It was perhaps his worst big stage performance to date, but he wasn’t the only offender in this regard. Take nothing away from Vitality though. They were fantastic at neutralizing Spirit’s every move, which made them look more uncoordinated than they likely were.
Obviously, the big praise will fall on ZywOo here, but we want to give a shoutout to mezii. So frequently, he has faced calls for his head on this roster. But here, on the IEM Dallas 2024 stage, he delivered big time, showing exactly why Vitality put their faith in the British rifler. He was electric, and if he continues this form into the Grand Final, we struggle to see a win condition for GStew.
With IEM Dallas 2024 set to conclude, Vitality won’t care about narratives. They’re here to end NA’s hopes and dreams, and put a stop to this Stewie2k party once and for all.
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