What to expect from M80 v. Rooster

The opening matches didn't go the way M80 or Rooster hoped, the former dropping to GamerLegion and the latter to Virtus.Pro. Now, to make the main stage of Katowice, they will need to win their next two BO3s. Unfortunately, those two face one another first, meaning only one can advance further.

M80: Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades

M80 started IEM Katowice with gutting news: IGL Marcus "maNkz" Kjeldsen would be unavailable, benching himself for at least this event and the following RMR. With short notice, coach Rory "dephh" Jackson stood in his stead. The first match was a travesty on T-side Nuke with M80 actually making a decent stand on the CT-side. While not at full power, we still cannot count out M80 from main stage contention.

• dephh needs more than 0 kills on T-side

• Ethan "reck" Serrano and Fritz "slaxz-" Dietrich were on point with 1.37 ratings vs GamerLegion

• Maybe don't play a strategically in-depth map like Nuke without your IGL

Rooster: Looking to do damage in Europe

Rooster also started Katowice on the wrong foot, losing to Virtus.Pro 13-4 in the opening round. But at least now the BO1s are over and Rooster can flex their map pool. Virtus.pro are extremely measured, playing by-the-book Counter-Strike to such a calculated degree it was hard to imagine them ever being upset. Against other, not-so-diligent teams, Rooster could do some damage.

• Corey "nettik" Browne needs to perform as the teams star fragger, 1.37 rating in the past 3 months vs 0.62 against VP

• Michael "chelleos" Hawkins has been underperforming in recent months; the AWPer must output more

• Since M80 don't have an IGL, some more complicated maneuvers may work in Rooster's favor

Previous Matchups

With both teams having so few reps in Europe, they have yet to play one another.

Vetos

• Rooster ban Ancient (Permaban)

• M80 ban Mirage (Permaban)

• Rooster pick Inferno

• M80 pick Vertigo

• Decider Anubis