- The Russian team defeated OG 2-0 on Mirage and Overpass
- Posting a 1.52 rating, Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov was C9’s clear MVP
- There are only two berths at the event left to be filled
Cloud9 become the last European team that is going to the Intel Extreme Masters Dallas 2023, after defeating OG.
C9 Qualifies for IEM Dallas 2023
Cloud9 continue their recent winning streak by qualifying for the IEM Dallas 2023. The Russian team secured their berth at the Dallas tournament after going through the European closed qualifier and finishing in second place. The event will be held between May 29 and June 4 and will feature 16 teams from all around the globe competing for a part of the quarter-million dollars prize pool.
Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov and his men were directly invited to the online competition, where they faced and defeated sYnck and Ninjas in Pyjamas on their way to the upper bracket final. There, C9 had to face Astralis, who managed to put a stop to the Russian team’s victory streak, sending them to the lower bracket. There, Cloud9 managed to take down OG 2-0 to qualify for the event, where they will defend their title as 2022’s champions.
The Russian team owes a lot of its success against OG to Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov. The 21-year-old player proved crucial, especially on the first map as he led his team to a narrow 16-14 win on Mirage, posting an impressive 1.84 rating and 29-8 K/D. Sh1ro proved less successful on Overpass, the second map, but still managed to pull off a respectable 1.52 rating across both maps.
Cloud9’s victory over OG and subsequent qualification for the IEM Dallas marks yet another successful event for the Russian squad. The team’s most recent previous victory was against BIG, which allowed Cloud9 to qualify for the BLAST Premier Spring Finals, which will be held in Washington on June 7-11.
But C9 will have to go through the IEM Dallas a week before the BLAST event, where they will be part of the 16 other teams competing for a part of the $250 000 prize pool. The last two teams to participate in the IEM Dallas will be decided by the South American qualifier, which will take place next week on April 11-12. ESL will also invite one last team based on their position in the organizer's World Ranking.
