IEM Katowice is considered a prestige event in the massive Counter-Strike 2 calendar, and the best CS2 players there are delivering. The best players in the world are competing in the $1 million tournament, and both some familiar and new faces are shining the brightest.
Here are the best CS2 players from IEM Katowice after the conclusion of the group stage.
Is anyone else surprised? You shouldn’t be. Last year’s consensus best player of the year has the highest rating of any player after the IEM Katowice group stages. He also finished with the highest ADR (average damage per round) rating and K/D differential of any player. Unsurprisingly, he was the lead man in Spirit’s playoff-clinching win over GamerLegion.
Liquid may have fallen short of reaching IEM Katowice playoffs, but fans can be happy with how NertZ performed in Katowice. The team’s newest addition was an absolute force in creating opening kills, and was only outdone in ADR by donk. NertZ is clearly an upgrade for Liquid, and once the team cleans some things up, they should be a more familiar face in playoffs.
Every year, a new player emerges and threatens to break into the top echelon of Counter-Strike players. This year, an early contender for rookie of the year is Oldřich “PR” Nový, a 17 year old Czech player for GamerLegion. After some impressive matches against paiN and MOUZ, PR had a head-turning performance against the once great Astralis. On Mirage in particular, he dropped a staggering 29 kills and only died 7 times. PR and GamerLegion ultimately fell to donk and Spirit, missing playoffs, but he’s a player to keep watching in the future.
Eternal Fire is one of the hottest teams at the start of 2025, and XANTARES is a big reason why. The veteran rifler was having a solid event throughout groups, but he shined the brightest in a thrilling multi-overtime Nuke game against FaZe. XANTARES dropped a server-high 49 kills on Nuke, and won 12 out of 16 opening duels, pushing Eternal Fire over the finish line and into playoffs over FaZe.
NAVI are the best team of 2024 and winners of the first CS2 Major, and everyone on the roster has been red hot in Katowice. Of the top 10 players according to HLTV player ratings, four of them are NAVI players: b1t, jL, iM, and w0nderful. NAVI defeated both FURIA and The MongolZ handedly, and took down donk and Spirit in an incredible series to guarantee playoffs.
Did any other CS2 player stand out after IEM Katowice groups? Let us know what you think down below or in the official Insider Gaming forums.
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