After qualifying for the playoffs of IEM Cologne 2025 through the lower bracket, Ivan “iM” Mihai gave an exclusive interview to Bo3.gg. In the conversation, he reflected on the emotional road to LANXESS Arena, the pressure of playing back-to-back matches, and the growth of the team’s newest addition, Makazze. The romanian  player also shared thoughts on their upcoming clash with The MongolZ and the recent CS2 update that stirred the community.

Next up is the playoffs. How are you feeling?

It feels amazing to qualify for the playoffs because I'm pretty damn sure we’ve never made it through the lower bracket whenever we had to play two games in a row. Every time, we win the first game and lose the second — maybe because we're exhausted, or because we don't have enough time to prepare the way we should. And I know — it’s amazing.

Are you excited to play in Cologne again? Is it something memorable for you?

Of course. Every time I play here, it’s amazing. Last year, it was incredible.  I’ve always said Cologne is my favorite tournament. Even though we’ve won other events, I always come back to that final against Vitality — it was so intense. The crowd was amazing, and it just felt different here in Cologne, you know?

Your face-off against FaZe looked like a more comfortable matchup for you. Why do you think that was the case?

Oh, I don’t think so, I think they’re playing very well. But we were just on point whenever we faced them. The first time, we lost on Ancient, and now we kind of knew what to expect. I said it back then — that map felt like a robbery. We knew what they were doing, and this time we just countered them better.

Let’s talk about your new player, Makazze. He tends to disappear in some games, especially when the team is losing. Why do you think that happens?

I don’t think he disappears. Maybe people say that only because he had a few quiet maps — that’s just CS. He’s still doing his job. Obviously, he’ll make mistakes. It's his first tournament and it’s Cologne, imagine the pressure. But he doesn’t look like he’s feeling it, which is very good. No matter what, I’m proud of him — how he played, how he stepped up in some games and situations, and how he reacted overall.

How would you rate his performance at Cologne overall?

For his first Cologne, and he made it to the playoffs — 10.

You’ll be facing The MongolZ in the quarterfinals. How are you planning to prepare, especially with two days off now?

We’ll prepare like we usually do. I’m pretty sure they beat us the last two times — maybe more. They have a different playstyle compared to other teams. We just have to analyze and counter them, because they’re playing very well. They’re not afraid to make mistakes, and they just go for it.

About the system update — what’s your opinion on the recent changes?

To be honest, it was released last night, and I was already in bed. I was too lazy to get up and check it. But I saw some random boxes on Train and a new railing on top of the balcony on Inferno. Maybe other maps have changes too. There are new animations, I think — I haven’t tried it yet, so I don’t know how it feels.