eSports | Cloud9 vs IHC Esports - Feb 01 | 10:00 UTC

**Mat** · February 1, 2023

Game Info Cloud9 vs IHC Esports

Cloud9 and IHC Esports compete this Wednesday, the Upper bracket round of 16 of the IEM Katowice 2023 Play-in. Entering the servers for the first time this season, the Cloud9 team appears as the big favorite to get one of the spots in the main event of IEM Katowice. On the other hand, the Mongolian IHC players again participate in a 'Tier S' tournament. All IEM Katowice Play-in opening matches will be played in MD1 (best of one map) format. The match is scheduled to take place at 10:00 UTC.

How does the IEM Katowice 2023 work?

The IEM Katowice 2023 tournament takes place in person (LAN) in Katowice, Poland. The main event occurs from February 4th to February 12th, with 16 teams fighting for the title. Eight of them are already guaranteed in the event, some because they have an extremely relevant ranking worldwide and others because they won the vacancy by winning expressive tournaments. The other eight organizations must qualify through the IEM Katowice 2023 Play-in, held from February 1st to 3rd.

Among the teams participating in the initial phase of the tournament (Play-in) and those already guaranteed in the main event, we will have confirmed: Heroic, G2 Esports, FaZe Clan, Team Liquid, Outsiders, MOUZ, Natus Vincere, Vitality and MOUZ. We will also have three Brazilian organizations in the running. We are talking about Furia, MIBR and paiN Gaming. The competition's total prize pool will be U$1.000.000 (one million dollars), with U$400.000 only for the winner.

Cloud9

In principle, the Cloud9 team arrives for their first appearance of the current season, ranked number 12 in the world according to the HLTV world rankings. Last year, we cannot say that the Russians had great results. After all, they won “only” a relevant title. First, it is worth remembering that the cast was known during the pandemic, emerging through less relevant tournaments and reaching the world's top in 2021, winning 7 expressive titles that year.

After the results didn't turn out as expected last season, finally, the cast that hadn't undergone reformulations since 2021 changed. In my opinion, a great decision since they removed Timofey “interz” Yakushin from the line-up, who had not performed well for months. In his place, the talented Kazakh player Timur “buster” Tulepo joined, who was removed from the former Virtus Pro in mid-May last year and finally returned to the professional scene.

Cloud9's Lineup: HObbit, Buster, Ax1Le, Sh1ro and Nafany

IHC Esports

On the other hand, the IHC Esports team also appears for its first relevant competition of the year. Considered the best team in Asia today, the Mongols occupy number 36 in the world. They are increasingly present in the main tournaments in the 'Tier S' scenario. Last year, it is undeniable that opponents celebrated when they saw IHC Esports crossing their path due to their lack of experience in international competitions. However, showing all its technical talent by playing balanced games against big organizations, the team should arrive even more prepared for 2023.

Participating in the IEM Rio Major 2022 Challengers Stage, the young cast of players from Mongolia were not trampled on any of the seven maps they competed in, winning at least nine rounds in all of them. It is also worth remembering that they beat 00Nation, the Brazilian team, by two maps to one in an elimination match. They have already started at the pace of a high-level organization for the current season, joining three significant competitions, namely IEM Katowice 2023, IEM Rio Brasil 2023 and ESL Pro League Season 17.

IHC Esports Lineup: Kabal, Sk0R, Annihilation, BLitz and Techno

Which team do you think will come out as the winner?

You can place your bet HERE!

Sports Daily Challenges #36

Challenge: Which team will be the winner?

The bet slips must be posted open! Before general settlement at the end of the match.
The betslip must be posted before the start of the match.
Edited posts will not be considered
Minimum bet size is: 0.5 $
Highest base bet, whit the right bet (winning team), will win it

Prize
1st..........5 BCD
2nd..........4 BCD
3rd..........3 BCD
4th..........2 BCD
5th..........1 BCD

Edited February 1, 2023 by BCGame_Mat