Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2024: The renewal of the great Counter-Strike 2 tournament

This week, from the 7th to the 13th of October, the Intel Extreme Masters took place in Rio de Janeiro. A total of 16 teams participated in this tournament, between qualified and invited, with the aim of finding the best team in one of the biggest Counter-Strike 2 tournaments. In Meristation, we were invited again to experience the intensity of the tournament and to live the intensity of this tournament.

What is Intel Extreme Masters?

In case you haven’t heard, the Intel Extreme Masters is one of the most important Counter-Strike tournaments. Organized in partnership between Intel and ESL, the tournament takes place in a series of tournaments around the world, and Rio de Janeiro is the venue for the third year in a row. The Farmasi Arena, one of the venues used during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, was the venue where 16 teams competed to become the best team in the competition, win $100,000 in prizes, and secure a place at IEM Katowice 2025, the circuit’s biggest tournament.

Some rule changes from last year

The 2024 edition of the IEM Rio had very few changes from last year, but they were key in terms of competition. The first major change is that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was dropped in favor of the newly released Counter-Strike 2. On the one hand, the number of rounds was reduced from 30 to 24, so that victory could be achieved more quickly and the first to reach 13 wins could win. On the other hand, the format of the Grand Final was changed to balance the game, moving from a best-of-three format to a best-of-five format.

Otherwise, the main stage had the same visual characteristics as last year, with the main screen allowing spectators to see all the action, while the lighting and on-screen effects made the tension palpable as each player was eliminated or bomb planted.

The defeat of the champion and the war conflict

In the first match, last year’s champions, Team Vitality, were dealt a heavy blow by the Germans from Mouz. Although the French team managed to beat Mouz on the first map, the Germans were able to overcome them in the following matches with very close scores of 13-11 and 13-10.

On the other hand, the Ukrainians of Natus Vincere, better known as NaVi, quickly overcame the Russians of Virtus.pro. The “born to win” team took the first game 13-4 and the second 13-11.

Revenge and disappointment

The first semi-final pitted two teams that had met at the same stage last year against each other. Once again, Heroic and Natus Vincere met, but unlike in 2023, NaVi managed to pull off the upset. Although Heroic won the first match 13-9, NaVi gradually overcame their rivals in the following matches to prove their superiority. The first match ended with a very even score of 16-14, while the Ukrainians showed their strength in the second match, winning 13-6.

The second semi-final was one of the most anticipated moments for the locals. The appearance of the Brazilian team once again filled the Farmasi Arena, demonstrating the support of the Cariocas. However, the power of the local fans was no match for Mouz’s Germans, who swept the team aside. Both games ended 13-3 in favor of the Germans, despite the celebrations in the stands and among the local fans.

Where is Mouz?

Unfortunately, on the final day of the competition, the Farmasi Arena was not as packed as it had been on previous days. Furia’s defeat had reduced the number of participants, but every eliminated Mouz player received the applause and shouts from the local fans. The first clash between the Ukrainians and the Germans was very close, and the first map ended with a score of 13-11.

The second match took place on one of the classic Counter-Strike maps: Dust 2. In contrast to the previous map, NaVi managed to demotivate Mouz completely and finished the first half with a score of 10-2. The second half was short-lived as NaVi put the pedal to the metal and won 13-2.

In the third map, Mouz showed signs of awakening and turned things around, winning the first half of the map 8-4. Despite NaVi’s best efforts, the map was eventually won by Mouz 13-6.

The fourth map, Ancient, was the map of the round. Mouz once again stepped on the gas and dominated NaV, winning 10-2. The comeback woke the Ukrainians up from their slumber and they started by wiping the floor with the Germans. In the end, the effort was enough to turn the match around and NaVi won the map 13-11 to take the championship.

The moral of the story after two visits to the IEM Rio is: never beat Furia.