The IEM Katowice playoffs are here! Following a wild and unpredictable group stage the end result still came largely as expected. Na'Vi, Vitality, Liquid, Heroic, Outsiders and G2 will compete for the first major title of 2023 in the knockout stage. Here's a look at some players to target and fade in the Spodek Arena.
Players to Target
NiKo
To say NiKo has been the best player in the world to open 2023 doesn't do enough justice. The rifler is good for a 1.25 rating and 0.76 kills per round while leading his team on a 17-map winning streak. G2 and NiKo sit atop the CS:GO world rankings and nobody comes particularly close. NiKo and G2 are heavy favorites for the title and don't seem to be slowing down any time soon.
jabbi
jabbi has been in utterly amazing form for Heroic in Katowice, averaging a near 1.3 rating during the event and leading his team to a top seed for the knockout stage. jabbi has long been the rock of this Heroic roster but now that he is taking the step forward as a true superstar, it's hard to see many teams competing with Heroic. If jabbi can keep this form going, Heroic would be one of the toughest teams to beat in the world.
kaiR0N
kaiR0N is the newest member of Outsiders and has taken the reigning Major champions to a new level, perfectly melding into the team's prominent early rounds. kaiR0N now faces a major step up in competition heading into the knockout stage where he will open the tournament against Na'Vi. If the young star can keep his current form going, he could be setting himself up for an early shot at the 2023 rookie of the year award.
Players to Fade
nitr0
Team Liquid's in-game leader has been utterly awful of late and sits in the red section, as he does more often than not. The in-game leader has produced a 0.94 rating in 2024 and sits at just 0.57 kills per round. nitr0 will need to have an absolute outlier showing to even be an average player, let alone one worth building around.
HooXi
HooXi has lead G2 to be one of the most dominant teams of the past year, and yet he still finds himself in the red after a string of awful individual showings. If "intangibles" gave fantasy points HooXi would likely be in the blue, but as it is he finds himself firmly entrenched in the red. Despite all of that, HooXi still seems to be in line for another title with his red-hot G2 side.
apEX
apEX has put together some truly awful showings in Katowice, with the brilliance of ZywOo required just to be a net neutral. The in-game leader and support has gotten next to nothing done on the map and often finds himself going -20 or worse. apEX would need a huge showing to get his Katowice rating out of the "embarrassing" category, let alone move into good.
Stats courtesy of HLTV.Org.
