100 Thieves and MOUZ will face off for a spot in the playoffs after defeating Evil Geniuses and MAD Lions, respectively.
The bloodbath in Katowice continued on day four, as teams from the top 11 of the rankings faced do or die situations in the lower bracket semi-finals of Group B. The opening series of the day featured two face-offs, one between 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses, a nemesis match-up that stems from a long way back. The Australian squad has experienced immense issues facing Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz and company not only in the recent past but historically, as the core has yet not been able to defeat the Evil Geniuses core on LAN since April 2019 at ESL Pro League Season 9 Americas.
The grudge match kicked off on Inferno, where 100 Thieves put up a solid offense, later dropping the ball on the CT side to concede their map pick to the match-up favorites. The Aussies made up for shortcomings on the CT side of Nuke, however, as the team managed to claw the second map in close fashion, pushing the series to Dust2. It was here that 100 Thieves finally managed to bring down their kryptonite opponents after a back-and-forth initial half was followed by T-side dominance.
The series commenced on Inferno, picked by 100 Thieves. The Aussies looked energetic, as a fruitful pistol round was followed up with a string of successes on the T side, establishing a crucial early lead. Multi-frags galore as Evil Geniuses saved up finances for full buys, and shortly after an initial conversion, the Americans bridged the gap to a two-round discrepancy. Despite their opponents' attempt at a comeback, 100 Thieves remained focused, concluding the initial half with a solid 10-5 surplus.
Evil Geniuses could not be denied on the offensive, however, as a productive pistol round saw follow-up in the form of six consecutive rounds, totally eliminating the safety pillow 100 Thieves had established prior. Joakim "jkaem" Myrbostad and Sean "Gratisfaction" Kaiwai's efforts added a conversion to 100 Thieves' tally, but the pursuit lacked longevity, as the offensive persisted past two round upsets, securing a 16-12 victory on their opponents' map pick.
With everything on the line, 100 Thieves picked up the pace going into Nuke's CT side, as the first pistol went their way, and despite two momentum upsets against rifles, Justin "jks" Savage and company accrued rounds in handfuls. The Aussies let but an additional round slip, as Aaron "AZR" Ward demonstrated solid form, topping the scoreboard going into the second half at 12-3.
Evil Geniuses were not about to let their map pick slip, as their CT-side showing commenced with a successful pistol opener. The defense followed up with four consecutive conversions, after which jkaem and AZR ensured their team's first T round. After a back-and-forth, that very nearly saw the two teams equalize, outstanding performances from AZR and jkaem denied a brief conclusion to the series, as 100 Thieves exchanged map picks at 16-12.
It all came down to Dust2, where 100 Thieves' CT side got off to a solid start with a pistol round victory plus one. Both rounds saw the bomb planted, however, which allowed the offense a foot into the map. stanislaw and company didn't shy away from the action and took matters into their hands by assuming a seven-round lead. Jay "Liazz" Tregillgas leveled the footing with a triple kill, and created an opening for his squad, which ultimately kept the Aussies competitive on the map at 7-8.
100 Thieves found consistency on the T side, as a consecutive pistol round established early momentum, a factor that paid dividends in the long-run. Vincent "Brehze" Cayonte attempted to stop the Australian offense in their tracks with a triple kill that secured Evil Geniuses their first round, but the Ts kept pushing, stopped two rounds short of series point. An ace from stanislaw and another triple from Brehze kept the CTs afloat, but a quirky B hit from the Aussies meant the end of the series at 16-12.
IEM Katowice 2020Best of 3
100 Thieves
Matchpage 2 1 27th February 2020 
Evil Geniuses 12Inferno 16 16Nuke 12 16Dust2 12 | 100 Thieves | K - D | +/- | ADR | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Joakim 'jkaem' Myrbostadjkaem | 64 - 51 | +13 | 79.0 | 1.22 |
| Aaron 'AZR' WardAZR | 63 - 50 | +13 | 77.2 | 1.16 |
 Sean 'Gratisfaction' KaiwaiGratisfaction | 54 - 57 | -3 | 70.6 | 1.02 |
| Justin 'jks' Savagejks | 48 - 50 | -2 | 64.2 | 0.99 |
| Jay 'Liazz' TregillgasLiazz | 50 - 54 | -4 | 70.5 | 0.96 |
| Evil Geniuses | K - D | +/- | ADR | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tsvetelin 'CeRq' DimitrovCeRq | 56 - 52 | +4 | 72.7 | 1.12 |
 Peter 'stanislaw' Jarguzstanislaw | 55 - 54 | +1 | 75.1 | 1.09 |
| Tarik 'tarik' Celiktarik | 53 - 58 | -5 | 77.7 | 1.03 |
| Vincent 'Brehze' CayonteBrehze | 53 - 57 | -4 | 66.2 | 0.94 |
| Ethan 'Ethan' ArnoldEthan | 45 - 58 | -13 | 60.2 | 0.93 |
On the B stream, a clash between Danish masterminds Finn "karrigan" Andersen and Nicolai "HUNDEN" Petersen took place, kicking off on Train. MOUZ opened with a strong CT pistol, where David "frozen" Čerňanský and Özgür "woxic" Eker asserted dominance with USPs. The international mix didn't stop their assault until a seven-round surplus was reached, and after minimal damage from MAD Lions in the form of two conversions, the CTs concluded the half on a 13-2 note.
A consecutive pistol round ensured map point for MOUZ, but Lucas "Bubzkji" Andersen interfered with the Ts plan for a brief close with a triple kill. This created an opening for the Danes to get a foot in the game, and they did not squander the opportunity by stringing five back-to-back rounds. Unfortunately, the deficit was too heavy a burden, as a successful pistol buy for MOUZ concluded the map at 16-8.
Dust2 was next on the agenda, and while MAD Lions had a solid start in the form of a CT-side pistol victory, a bomb plant meant an upper hand for MOUZ in the follower. The rifle upset didn't yield karrigan and company any long-term results, as the defense managed to claw things back in their hands early on. Once things had stabilized for the Ts, it was the MOUZ show all the way to a lop-sided 11-4 half. The international mix didn't give their opponents a single inch on the defense, as a second pistol round went their way, alongside the four following rounds, concluding the map and series at 16-4.
IEM Katowice 2020Best of 3
MAD Lions
Matchpage 0 2 27th February 2020 
MOUZ 8Train 16 4Dust2 16 | MAD Lions | K - D | +/- | ADR | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas 'Bubzkji' AndersenBubzkji | 38 - 37 | +1 | 101.0 | 1.16 |
| Fredrik 'roeJ' JørgensenroeJ | 30 - 37 | -7 | 80.5 | 0.85 |
| Rasmus 'sjuush' Becksjuush | 25 - 35 | -10 | 59.9 | 0.73 |
| Frederik 'acoR' GyldstrandacoR | 17 - 38 | -21 | 39.7 | 0.50 |
| Nicolai 'HUNDEN' PetersenHUNDEN | 12 - 40 | -28 | 39.1 | 0.42 |
| MOUZ | K - D | +/- | ADR | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Özgür 'woxic' Ekerwoxic | 43 - 22 | +21 | 99.6 | 1.65 |
 David 'frozen' Čerňanskýfrozen | 40 - 23 | +17 | 103.7 | 1.48 |
 Robin 'ropz' Koolropz | 42 - 25 | +17 | 86.8 | 1.47 |
 Chris 'chrisJ' de JongchrisJ | 32 - 25 | +7 | 78.5 | 1.22 |
| Finn 'karrigan' Andersenkarrigan | 30 - 28 | +2 | 76.0 | 1.15 |
Evil Geniuses #5 Peter 'stanislaw' JarguzTarik 'tarik' CelikVincent 'Brehze' CayonteEthan 'Ethan' ArnoldTsvetelin 'CeRq' Dimitrov 
100 Thieves #10 Justin 'jks' SavageAaron 'AZR' WardJoakim 'jkaem' MyrbostadSean 'Gratisfaction' KaiwaiJay 'Liazz' Tregillgas Justin 'jks' Savage 
Age: 24 Team: 100 Thieves Rating 1.0: 1.09 Maps played: 876 KPR: 0.72 DPR: 0.63 David 'frozen' Čerňanský 
Age: 17 Team: MOUZ Rating 1.0: 1.15 Maps played: 804 KPR: 0.79 DPR: 0.65 MOUZ #2 Finn 'karrigan' AndersenChris 'chrisJ' de JongÖzgür 'woxic' EkerDavid 'frozen' ČerňanskýRobin 'ropz' Kool 
Lucas 'Bubzkji' Andersen 
Age: 21 Team: MAD Lions Rating 1.0: 1.05 Maps played: 678 KPR: 0.73 DPR: 0.67 Finn 'karrigan' Andersen 
Age: 29 Team: MOUZ Rating 1.0: 0.93 Maps played: 1612 KPR: 0.63 DPR: 0.68 Vincent 'Brehze' Cayonte 
Age: 21 Team: Evil Geniuses Rating 1.0: 1.12 Maps played: 876 KPR: 0.77 DPR: 0.67 Aaron 'AZR' Ward 
Age: 27 Team: 100 Thieves Rating 1.0: 1.00 Maps played: 879 KPR: 0.70 DPR: 0.69 Sean 'Gratisfaction' Kaiwai 
Age: 23 Team: 100 Thieves Rating 1.0: 1.07 Maps played: 683 KPR: 0.70 DPR: 0.61 Nicolai 'HUNDEN' Petersen 
Age: 28 Team: MAD Lions Rating 1.0: 0.81 Maps played: 1578 KPR: 0.55 DPR: 0.70 Joakim 'jkaem' Myrbostad 
Age: 26 Team: 100 Thieves Rating 1.0: 1.03 Maps played: 912 KPR: 0.72 DPR: 0.69 MAD Lions #11 Nicolai 'HUNDEN' PetersenLucas 'Bubzkji' AndersenFrederik 'acoR' GyldstrandRasmus 'sjuush' BeckFredrik 'roeJ' Jørgensen Peter 'stanislaw' Jarguz 
Age: 25 Team: Evil Geniuses Rating 1.0: 0.98 Maps played: 1057 KPR: 0.66 DPR: 0.66 Jay 'Liazz' Tregillgas 
Age: 22 Team: 100 Thieves Rating 1.0: 1.12 Maps played: 719 KPR: 0.73 DPR: 0.61 Özgür 'woxic' Eker 
Age: 21 Team: MOUZ Rating 1.0: 1.15 Maps played: 800 KPR: 0.76 DPR: 0.62 (责任编辑：casebattles)
