4. Natus Vincere
Boasting two of the best players in the world, S1mple and Electronic, Na`vi’s performance in 2019 was truly disappointing, with a StarSeries i-League Season 7 championship not enough to satisfy fans.
The year 2019 also marked a significant transformation for Na`vi as two veterans, Edward and Zeus, left the team, making way for the young IGL Boombl4 and returning player GuardiaN. Theoretically, this was a dream lineup for Na`vi, combining the individual skills of young talents with the experience of veterans. However, GuardiaN’s performance during his time with Na`vi had declined significantly, becoming a liability for his teammates.
After a series of disastrous performances, GuardiaN was benched, and Na`vi brought in the young talent Perfecto.
This new lineup quickly proved its strength with a convincing performance at the recent BLAST Premier Spring Series, finishing at the top of Group B, where they directly eliminated the current world #1 team, Astralis, forcing the Danes to play in the Showdown round.
The members of Na`vi are currently in high form, with the star duo Electronic and S1mple shining, while Flamie and Perfecto are performing solidly, and Boombl4 is showing improvement in the IGL position with each tournament. Although Na`vi still has a lot of work to do, such as refining their teamwork and improving their map pool, the monster S1mple and his teammates will certainly be a formidable opponent.
5. Fnatic
Similar to Mousesports, Fnatic fans only truly saw their team “come out of the cave” in the last months of 2019 when they crowned champions of DreamHack Masters Malmo right in their homeland. This victory acted as a doping injection for JW, Flusha, and their teammates, allowing them to perform like never before, consistently achieving good results: runners-up at StarSeries i-League Season 8 (losing 0-2 in the grand final against EG), third place at ECS Season 8 Finals (narrowly losing to Liquid 1-2 in the semifinals), and runners-up at ESL Pro League Season 10 Finals (getting swept 0-3 by Mousesports).
Fnatic is currently ranked 4th on the reputable HLTV ranking and is a candidate for the championship, but the members of Fnatic still lack a bit of confidence and individual brilliance in crucial matches, and the journey to the IEM Katowice championship will undoubtedly be very challenging.
6. Evil Geniuses
Formerly NRG Esports, the team was acquired by Evil Geniuses right before ESL One New York 2019. Tarik and his teammates quickly proved this was a completely correct decision by becoming champions of the tournament in a highly convincing manner.
The last two months of 2019 were also quite successful for EG as they secured a championship (StarSeries i-League Season 8) and two third-place finishes (ECS Season 8 Finals and EPICENTER 2019).
However, interspersed among these were some very embarrassing defeats: they finished last at DreamHack Masters Malmo just days after ESL One New York and placed 5th-6th at several major LAN events. The inconsistency in performance is EG’s biggest weakness: on good days, they fear no opponent, even if it’s Astralis, but on off days, even names like GRAYHOUND, NiP, or even MiBR can give them a hard time.
If the EG members play at a high and stable level, they are absolutely capable of lifting the championship trophy, but just one mistake could cost stanislaw’s squad dearly.
7. The Dark Horses of the Tournament
FaZe Clan, G2 Esports, and Vitality are names that will be on this list. Both FaZe Clan and G2 Esports have showcased outstanding performance at the BLAST Premier Spring Series, dominating their respective groups (A and C) with an undefeated record of 3-0.
Both teams also have exceptional individuals capable of creating upsets, but one tournament is not enough to accurately assess their strength, and facing tier 1 teams will not be an easy challenge.
The other French representative, Vitality, is a different story. With the best player in the world in 2019, ZywOo, Vitality has achieved impressive successes such as winning EPICENTER 2019 and finishing as runners-up at ESL One Cologne 2019.
However, the saying “one tree cannot make a forest” that once applied to S1mple now also applies to ZywOo; many times, the shoulders of this 19-year-old prodigy have not been able to “carry” Vitality to victory against stronger opponents.
Moreover, at the recent BLAST Premier Spring Series, Vitality showed signs of being figured out, and when their brightest star isn’t “playing game,” defeat is inevitable for the French representatives. IEM Katowice 2020 will undoubtedly be a challenging tournament for ZywOo and his teammates.
Which team do you think will rise to the top in Katowice this year? Which star will shine? Let’s share your thoughts and catch the tournament officially kicking off on February 24!