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I don’t know about you, but IEM so excited to watch the world’s best StarCraft II players compete for $400,000 in Katowice, Poland from February 24 to March 1.
(Terrible pun. Sorry.)
I’m referring, of course, to Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Katowice 2020, the first major StarCraft II tournament of the year and the first global event of the new ESL Pro Tour, set to be an electrifying display of interstellar warfare. The competitors are as fearsome a group of generals, executors, and broodmothers as have ever been assembled. There’s Park "Dark" Ryung Woo, arguably the best Zerg player in South Korea, fresh off a victory in the 2019 WCS Global Finals. Also in attendance is Riccardo "Reynor" Romiti, the 17-year-old Italian Zerg prodigy who fell to Dark in those finals and will be looking for revenge here.
With so many top players, it’s inevitable that year-spanning storylines will gain new chapters—and new tales will begin.
- Will Joona "Serral" Sotala, the Finnish Zerg who dominated StarCraft II for most of 2018 and 2019, finally face off against Cho "Maru" Seong Ju, a legendary Korean Terran who won his first televised match at age 13?
- Will Eo "soO" Yun-su, the Korean Zerg icon who broke his preposterous string of second place finishes to win IEM Katowice last year, return in top form?
- Will former stars like Won "PartinG" Lee Sak, a Korean Protoss who survived a jam-packed online qualifier to secure a spot in the group stage despite not winning a major tournament since 2015, make a triumphant return?
The opening matches of the 64-player IEM Katowice 2020 offline qualifier begin on February 24. The bracket is overflowing with talent, including:
- Terran experts like Marc "uThermal" Schlappi, Choi "Polt" Seong Hun, and Lee "INnoVation" Shin Hyung
- Protoss heroes like Kim "sOs" Yoo Jin, Alex "Neeb" Sunderhaft, and Cho "Trap" Sung Ho
- Zerg masterminds including Julian "Lambo" Brosig , Clément "Denver" Coste , and Shin "RagnaroK" Hee Bum.
Only 12 of the 64 offline qualifier competitors will advance.
Then, on February 27, a two-day, 24-player group stage will begin. Those who survive the group stage will face off in a 12-player single-elimination bracket, with the grand finals taking place on March 1.
For full details, check out https://www.intelextrememasters.com/season-14/katowice/sc2/.
Watch the live show on https://www.twitch.tv/esl_sc2.