Heroic confidently defeated Astralis in the semifinals of the top bracket of Group B at IEM Rio 2024 with a 2-0 victory. The victory on Mirage (13:9) and Ancient (13:7) earned Heroic a ticket to the tournament playoffs, where they will continue to fight for the $100,000 grand prize and a slot at IEM Katowice 2025.
The course of the match
Heroic immediately took the initiative on Mirage, using their experience and ability to read the opponent's game. Astralis was unable to effectively respond to Heroic's aggression, and although they managed to keep the balance in the middle of the match, the final part on both maps was left to Heroic.
On Ancient, the cadiaN team tried to cope with Heroic's aggression, but they lacked control in key positions. NertZ and degster did not allow their opponents to break the defense, ensuring reliability in the decisive rounds.
The future path of the teams
Thanks to this victory, Heroic guaranteed themselves a place in the playoffs, where they will meet Team Vitality. This match promises to be a real challenge, as both teams have been playing consistently since the beginning of the tournament.
For Astralis, the defeat does not mean the end of their journey in the tournament. They went down to the bottom bracket, where they will meet Virtus.pro in hopes of continuing their fight and returning to the playoffs through the bottom bracket. Virtus.pro, in turn, aims to prove their competitiveness after a confident victory over 9z in the previous match.
Tournament situation
IEM Rio 2024 continues to surprise with interesting matches and unpredictable results. The prize pool of the tournament is $250,000, of which $100,000 will be awarded to the winner along with a seat to IEM Katowice 2025.
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