FaZe are through to the IEM Katowice 2018 semi-finals after defeating Cloud9 in a thrilling three-map series (16-5 on Overpass, 13-16 on Cache, 22-20 on Inferno).

The first quarter-final of the day, a rematch of the ELEAGUE Major grand final, kicked off with Olof "⁠olofmeister⁠" Kajbjer and Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen opening things up with double-kills to help FaZe to win their CT pistol on Overpass, Cloud9's map pick. FaZe then followed that up not only with the subsequent anti-ecos, but also with two more rounds to grab a quick 5-0 lead.

Although the North Americans then managed to get their first round on the board, FaZe remained in the driving seat and strung the next four rounds together to go up 9-1, forcing Cloud9 to call a tactical pause in a bid to halt their opponents' momentum. The North Americans came close to winning the next round, but FaZe overturned a 3v5 situation and further extended their lead, with the half ending with a 13-2 scoreline.

karrigan's men came from the break determined to wrap things up quickly, and they hit map point without losing a single round.Cloud9 responded with a trio of rounds, but their efforts would be fruitless as FaZe then closed out the map, 16-5.

Next up was FaZe's map pick, Cache, where Tarik "⁠tarik⁠" Celik opened up the action with an astonishing quad-kill to help his team win their CT pistol. Despite following that up with an anti-eco, Cloud9 could not prevail against FaZe's third-round eco.

FaZe will take on Astralis for a place in the event's grand final

The North American side replied with two opening frags, but Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač immediately turned things around with a fast triple-kill to help his team to stay in command. And even though Cloud9 would get back on the board in the sixth round, FaZe further added to their lead with a three-round winning streak.

Both teams then traded rounds, but FaZe dominated proceedings in the final stages of the half to secure a 10-5 lead. Then, with an impressive quad-kill in the second pistol, Ladislav "⁠GuardiaN⁠" Kovács set his team up for a 12-5 advantage.

Nevertheless, Jake "⁠Stewie2K⁠" Yip and co. found a lifeline in the series after winning the following round with nothing but pistols. That moment marked the beginning of a great run from Cloud9, who went on to level the score at 12-12, forcing FaZe to call their first tactical pause of the game. Still, that did not alter the course of the game, with Cloud9 winning four of the next five rounds en-route to a 16-13 finish.

tarik led the way for Cloud9 on Cache

Starting out as CTs on the decider map, Inferno, Cloud9 came out the better side, picking up the pistol and the following anti-eco. In a third-round buy, however, FaZe successfully executed B, setting themselves up for a 3-2 lead.

The European mixture kept breaking through Cloud9's defence and extended their lead to 6-2, but that was when the North Americans picked up the pace, losing only the last round of the half to switch sides with a narrow lead.

Cloud9 began the second half with a chaotic yet successful pistol, which they followed up with the subsequent anti-ecos and with a near-flawless gun round.

FaZe then responded with their eight round, but their economy was immediately reset by a slow-paced A execution from Cloud9. With a saved AK, however, NiKo found two opponents in the next round, paving the way for his team to win the round. The Europeans remained in the driving seat and eventually hit match point at 15-14, but Cloud9 hit back to equalise the score.

In overtime, Cloud9 got off to a great start with a flawless T-side thanks to clutches from three different players, William "⁠RUSH⁠" Wierzba, Stewie2K, and Tyler "⁠Skadoodle⁠" Latham. Still, FaZe went on a 3-0 run of their own to take the game to a second overtime, in which they would defeat the North Americans to book a semi-final berth.

IEM Katowice 2018 Best of 3 Cloud9 Matchpage 1 2 FaZe 5 Overpass 16 16 Cache 13 20 Inferno 22