Counter-Strike 2 prodigy Danil “donk” Kryshkovets spearheaded Team Spirit’s 3-0 sweep against FaZe Clan in the grand final to win the Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2024 (IEM Katowice 2024) at the Spodek Arena in Poland on Sunday.
It was Spirit’s first major championship in Counter-Strike. They claimed the US$400,000 top prize and qualified for the IEM Cologne 2024.
Additionally, the Russian squad, which won 14 maps and only lost one in Katowice, secured their spots in the BLAST Premier World Final 2024 and Esports World Cup 2024.
- How to unlock competitive in Counter-Strike 2 — get into the action quick
- Best CS2 tips to help you rank up easily in Premier and Competitive
Team Spirit sweeps FaZe Clan in IEM Katowice 2024 grand final behind Donk’s dominating performance
Spirit started their campaign in IEM Katowice with a clean victory over Apeks and a sweep against The MongolZ in the play-in phase.
They then beat Natus Vincere 2-1, Complexity 2-0, and FaZe Clan 2-0 in the group stage, before eliminating Team Falcons 2-0 in the semifinals.
FaZe defeated Rebels Gaming 2-0 and Eternal Fire 2-1 before losing to Spirit in the battle for Group A top seed.
They went on to sweep G2 Esports and MOUZ 2-0 in the playoffs to set up a rematch against Spirit in the grand final.
In map one of the final, Spirit got off to a 5-1 start on the CT side at Nuke as the 17-year-old donk displayed his brilliance early with 16 frags.
The more experienced FaZe squad retaliated to win the next five rounds on the back of Robin “ropz” Kool before settling for a 6-6 score at the half.
Donk once again stole the spotlight, finishing with 32 kills against 14 deaths and a whopping 132.4 average damage per round (ADR) to carry Spirit to a 13-9 win.
It was FaZe’s turn to take advantage on the CT side in game two at Mirage, and they took the 7-5 lead at the half, with Håvard “rain” Nygaard scoring 12 kills.
However, Spirit were able to keep the game close, and eventually seize the 13-11 triumph. Donk tallied 24 kills while Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov picked up 20 frags.
There was no stopping donk’s dominance as he finished the series with yet another stunning performance at Overpass.
The new CS sensation nailed a 4K in the sixth round, and went on to register 26 kills in 16 rounds, helping Spirit seal the championship with a 13-3 romp in the final map.
Donk received the Most Valuable Player award for his exceptional performance all throughout the tournament.
Moreover, he finished the competition with a 1.70 rating to become the highest rated player in the history of IEM Katowice.
Follow ONE Esports on YouTube for more CS2 content.
READ MORE: A Call to Arms CS2 update: Arms Race, Kilowatt Case, Kukri Knife, stickers, and more
