Draik04's Fantasy Guide: IEM Cologne 2023

There's a lot to look forward to with the main stage for IEM Cologne coming up, including taking part in HLTV's Fantasy leagues for a shot at securing some nice prizes, or in Dust2.us' public league for bragging rights. There is a wide range of factors to consider when trying to build a winning lineup. The goal of this guide is to give you a grasp of some strong teams and players in this event that you can make use of when crafting your squad!

Format Considerations

Unlike the Play-In, the main stage for IEM Cologne will be rocking a standard double-elimination BO3 bracket for the group stage, and a single elimination BO3 bracket for the playoffs, barring the BO5 grand final. Since every match is BO3, you will not face reduced points from any BO1, and additionally, you may want to focus on teams that are likely to make it at least relatively far in the group stage, if not all the way to playoffs. One unfortunate fact is that Group B is far more stacked than Group A, featuring Vitality, G2, FaZe, NAVI, MOUZ, and Astralis competing for just three spots, so it's imperative to keep that in mind when making your picks.

High rollers: Strong but expensive players

A key piece to any successful team is a star player. If you want your fantasy team to rise to the top, you'll need to secure a star of your own as well. Star players can net you a significant amount of points thanks to their consistently strong performances, but it's important to budget accordingly as too many stars will set you back when building the rest of your team. Some star player picks worth considering this event are:

• stavn (Heroic) - $219,000

• s1mple (NAVI) - $217,000

• ropz (FaZe) - $216,000

• frozen (MOUZ) - $215,000

Heroic are far and away the favorites in their group, and selecting Martin "stavn" Lund for your team would allow you to take advantage of the Danish side's expected dominance. Averaging a 1.28 rating at the BLAST Fall Groups, the fifth-highest overall, stavn is without a doubt warmed up and ready to take names on the main stage of Cologne.

Expectations surrounding NAVI ranged from the highest highs to the lowest lows, but overall the European side fared well in the Fall Groups, beating Astralis, BIG, and G2 to kick off their roster debut. Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev was the driving force of the squad, averaging a 1.18 rating across 12 maps played. Relatively cheap at $217,000 compared to his usual outlandish price tag, s1mple is absolutely worth considering if you are confident in this new NAVI not skipping a beat.

While not the star for his team at the Fall Groups, Robin "ropz" Kool still impressed for FaZe with a 1.13 rating. As FaZe has a relatively favorable matchup to start with in Group B, the European combine probably has one of the best shots of qualifying for playoffs from the group, and ropz will no doubt be a valuable player to ride with to the playoffs.

The final star pick of note is David "frozen" Čerňanský, who displayed a staggering show of form in the Play-In with a 1.40 rating after wins over TheMongolz and NIP. The third-highest-rated LAN player of 2023 so far, the odds are good that frozen will keep up that stellar performance into the main event.

AWPers: Avoiding the $4,750 decoy

Equally important to the star player is the AWPer. In some cases, these players fulfill the role of the star while AWPing, but regardless of whether the AWPer you pick is a flashy star or a quiet but consistent performer, they should be a key component to your fantasy team, netting you plenty of points from both performances and roles. Here are just a few AWPers that stand out:

Here are just a few AWPers that stand out:

• cadiaN (Heroic) - $212,000

• torzsi (MOUZ) - $208,000

• device (Astralis) - $223,000

• broky (FaZe) - $213,000

As mentioned previously when discussing stavn, Heroic stand a solid chance to make it far in this event, and selecting Casper "cadiaN" Møller offers the opportunity to capitalize off that success while also earning consistent points from both roles and his own individual form, all at a relatively low price.

Ádám "torzsi" Torzsás is not quite the budget pick he was in the Play-In, as a chart-topping 1.54 average rating has dragged his price tag from a modest $194,000 to $208,000. While it is unlikely torzsi will completely dominate his subsequent games, his performance in the Play-In showcased some stellar form that would make a $208,000 price point a bargain if MOUZ keeps up their form.

Nicolai "device" Reedtz continues to be a consistently solid pick as an AWPer, snagging a 1.16 average in the Play-In to complement his 1.21 rating in the Fall Groups. Slated to play against a relatively weak G2, Astralis stand a good chance of taking an early win in their Cologne campaign, which device would capitalize on without a doubt.

The final AWP pick of note is FaZe's Helvijs "broky" Saukants, who kicked off the season with a 1.10 average rating in the Fall Groups, keeping up a solid streak of positive events for the Latvian AWPer. If you're looking for an AWP capable of putting up star numbers without breaking the bank, broky is an absolute must for your team.

Wading through a minefield: Players to avoid

Whether it be because of cost, poor recent performances, or an unfortunate bracket placement, there are some players that it would simply be wise to avoid purchasing, as tempting as they may be. Players that you might be considering but probably shouldn't include:

• m0NESY (G2) - $212,000

• sh1ro (Cloud9) - $228,000

• mezii (fnatic) - $208,000

• b1t (NAVI) - $205,000

Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov had an uncharacteristically poor event in the Fall Groups, posting a subpar 1.02 average rating over 12 maps, a key factor for G2 ultimately missing out on Fall Finals qualification. Barring a complete turnaround of form for G2, there are much safer options you can select for your AWPer for roughly similar prices.

Dmitry "sh1ro" Sokolov is by no means a bad player, arguably worthy of his $228,000 price point, but the recent news regarding Sergey "Ax1Le" Rykhtorov's visa issues raises concerns regarding Cloud9's debut with their new lineup. Should Cloud9 crash and burn, a team built around the Russian AWPer would find itself straddling the bottom of the rankings, a risk that can be avoided by divesting from sh1ro.

Featuring William "mezii" Merriman on this list is almost definitely not going to be a popular opinion, but his inclusion is less regarding his individual form and more in terms of my thoughts on his team. Having one of the tougher opening matchups in Group A versus Cloud9, an early loss would put the squad's backs to the walls, and I am not convinced that mezii will be able to bail out his team in the same way that he did in the Play-In.

The final selection for this list is Valeriy "b1t" Vakhovskiy, although this could more broadly apply to any NAVI player that is not s1mple. While I was not disappointed by NAVI at the Fall Groups, the four players other than s1mple averaged a middling 1.00 rating throughout the event, not inspiring confidence in me. Considering the difficulty of opposition in Group B, similar performances from NAVI will almost certainly net the team an early group-stage exit.

Balling on a budget: Cheap but effective players

Star player and AWPer choices tend to be fairly ubiquitous across fantasy teams; the real difference-maker is found in the players you round out the rest of your team with. Oftentimes, you'll want to have a cheap player on your squad to facilitate purchasing a high-performing star player, but it's important that they don't end up being a burden for your team. If you're looking for players that won't break the bank but will still net you results, look no further than here:

• Twistzz (FaZe) - $207,000

• TeSeS (Heroic) - $205,000

• electroNic (Cloud9) - $204,000

• Buzz (Astralis) - $185,000

I've already expressed my belief in FaZe for this event, and a driving force for FaZe's success in the Fall Groups was none other than Canadian rifler Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken, who posted a stellar 1.29 rating, continuing a streak of strong events for him following a 1.10 rating at IEM Dalles and a 1.20 rating at the Spring Final. The consistency of these recent performances leads me to believe that Twistzz will maintain his upward trajectory at Cologne, making his $207,000 well worth it.

In a similar vein to Twistzz, René "TeSeS" Madsen inherently gets value from his team's successes, but that isn't to say that the Dane is not capable of putting up numbers on his own. Averaging a 1.11 in the Fall Groups and a 1.08 in the Spring Final, TeSeS is a good candidate for a relatively cheap player that will provide a value greater than their price tag.

While my feelings on selecting Cloud9 players are mixed considering the Ax1Le situation, it is extremely difficult to in good conscience not to recommend Denis "electroNic" Sharipov for a measly $204,000. A poor showing at the BLAST.tv Paris Major did a number on the Russian's price point, providing you the wonderful opportunity to acquire a Top 20-caliber player for extremely cheap. I can more easily recommend electroNic over other Cloud9 players because, unlike sh1ro, his price does not require your team to be entirely reliant on the Russian squad's success in this event.

The final player I would like to highlight is Christian "Buzz" Andersen, who is managing to find some consistency in his form with Astralis, with 1.05 and 1.07 ratings at the Fall Groups and Cologne Play-In, respectively. For only $185,000 the young Dane is a solid pick to round out your team if you're a bit strapped for cash.

Honorable mentions: Rounding out your five

There are many options available to you when making your team, as has been mentioned previously, and a number of players not yet mentioned are still worth considering for a variety of reasons. These players could be on strong teams likely to make it far, consistent in their fragging output, or cheap enough to free up cash elsewhere for your team among other reasons. Players you may consider completing your roster with include:

Draik04's Dream Team

If you've gotten this far and still don't have a clue who to field, you can always take some inspiration from my perfect, immaculate team. For IEM Cologne, I've decided to run:

• Twistzz (FaZe) - HS Machine

• rain (FaZe) - Entry Fragger

• TeSeS (Heroic) - Eco Friendly

• sjuush (Heroic) - Leader

• Buzz (Astralis) - Support

This was a difficult team to draft considering the high cost of many players and the relative scarcity of cheap players to round out the squad. Consequently, I opted to not field an AWPer, as I could not find any that aligned with my budget. Twistzz is an integral piece of the puzzle for my team, as I am confident in both his own individual form and the form of his team. The further addition of rain will also allow me to capitalize on FaZe's success, should it come to fruition.

Wanting to also take advantage of Heroic's likely dominance in Group A, I've also leaned into the Danish side with TeSeS and sjuush, who, although they may not be stars, are still consistent players who won't be a drain on my resources. My final pick goes to Buzz, who I've been thoroughly impressed with watching since the start of the season. With spare cash being difficult to come by this event, Buzz's $185,000 price tag made him doubly valuable for me and my team.

There is now less than a day for you to finalize your fantasy team for IEM Cologne. With all this valuable information in mind, you can now construct a team that even the sweatiest HLTV forum poster will fear. If you're confident in your team, show it off in Dust2.us' public league, where you can go head-to-head with some of North America's greatest fantasy minds. Best of luck in your fantasy endeavors!