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The Good, Bad, and Ugly: IEM Dallas 2025

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Relive the best and worst moments of IEM Dallas!

The countdown for the BLAST Austin Major has concluded, allowing teams to demonstrate their readiness at IEM Dallas 2025 last week. After the reemergence of a star player, an underwhelming grand final, and the emergence of fresh talent at the pinnacle of CS:GO, there’s plenty to ponder upon as we approach the major.

We’re wrapping up IEM Dallas with the best and the worst of the week in the Texan city.

The Good: s1mple’s back, baby

It’s great that Vitality just broke the Bo3 streak record at the start of the new ESL Grand Slam and won, but that’s not really why you’re here. What I want to talk about is how impressive s1mple was in his FaZe debut.

While it’s important not to jump to conclusions, it’s worth noting that FaZe only managed a single win against BC.Game, and they struggled in their 2-1 elimination loss against HEROIC, particularly when it came down to crunch time. The Ukrainian star didn’t seem to shine as brightly as we might have expected.

However, we saw flashes of the skill level reminiscent of the past from s1mple this week. It’s quite demanding to expect top-tier performance from any player so soon after joining and with the team short a crucial rifler like Håvard “rain” Nygaard.

The crowd was just as enthusiastic, as FaZe Clan’s group stage matches attracted more viewers than the grand final itself. At the moment, it seems challenging for FaZe to advance in the Austin Major, but if they do, it will undoubtedly be due to s1mple regaining his top form – and that promises an extraordinary spectacle!

The Bad: IEM Dallas was MOUZ’s for the taking — right up until it wasn’t

Overcoming Vitality has proven to be an immense challenge, yet for a brief instant, it seemed as though MOUZ missed their prime chance during IEM Dallas.

At the Texas event, each member of MOUZ reached their best performance, with them standing out as the top-rated team among all others, even reaching the championship Sunday. The Falcons, who were pursuing the second position, were decisively defeated by MOUZ in the group stage finale.

Despite some additional effort required, they managed to defeat a tough MongolZ squad in the semifinals, smoothly advancing to the finals. However, as we’ve seen time and time again, Vitality remains the team’s Achilles’ heel.

In a standout performance by ZywOo, the MVP surpassed all three MOUZ players during the event. Notably, their 3-0 loss can be seen as one of their most disappointing matches against Vitality recently – this is particularly true in light of the close losses they experienced at Lisbon and BLAST Rivals.

Despite not appearing as though it should be their destiny given their current MOUZ roster, they encounter a challenge when they travel to Austin in June. Could they ultimately clear this last obstacle and seize Vitality’s winning streak?

The Ugly: G2 a dead roster walking

It was predictable that G2 might experience a decline, given the uncertainties surrounding their roster. The absence of key players like m0NESY and NiKo, visa problems affecting coach TaZ, and the temporary inclusion of hades led to a lack of consistency within the team, making it difficult for them to deliver consistent results.

In Dallas, HeavyGod put forth an impressive effort; he was one of the top-ranked players in the competition. Regrettably, his speed proved too much for others to match. The rest of G2’s team members (except for Snax’s occasional slumps) showed flashes of brilliance, but their inconsistency prevented them from reaching the playoffs, with up-and-coming GamerLegion taking the spot instead.

As a diehard fan, I can’t help but express my concern about the inconsistency that seems to have affected our beloved team, G2. If they decide to depart from Austin early, it appears they stand to lose significantly more than they bargained for. Many commentators are already questioning their relevance, which is truly disheartening.

However, it’s important to remember that change is inevitable, and changes are indeed on the horizon for G2. Yet, it’s a real pity that their storied history might be tarnished by the missteps they’ve made – both front-of-house and backstage.

The Uglier: ESL Impact finals celebrations marred by community

The most unfortunate incident of the weekend occurred when individuals participating in the Counter-Strike event, which aimed to honor women and underrepresented genders, chose to target members of your ESL Impact community instead. This was supposed to be a festive occasion, but it turned sour.

For the very first time in the league, a new Impact champion was declared on May 25, as FURIA Female narrowly defeated Supernova Comets. The MVP of the server, Bruna “bizinha” Marvila (with a score of 49-33 and a rating of 1.23), led her South American team to victory.

Yesterday, I witnessed FURIA fe knock out Imperial Female Juggernauts in the ESL Impact tournament. These ladies were gunning for their eighth consecutive title, but we’ve got a new champion now! FURIA fe held off Supernova Comets’ empathy (56-43, 103 ADR, 1.43 rating), who played exceptionally well following an incredible 35-kill, 2.65-rated performance on Ancient map. What a thrilling match it was!

As a gamer, I was hyped for the final showdown between teams like The Final and FURIA, but my excitement was dampened when I witnessed a significant chunk of the CS2 community unfairly targeting transgender players – both on the battlefield and online. It’s disheartening to see such behavior in our gaming community.

The situation led to a heartfelt post from Empathy, expressing that they found the community to be the worst encounter they’ve ever had, and at times, regretted beginning their involvement in it.

Every day, I’m overwhelmed by the negativity around me. All I wish for is to be respected as a person and allowed to pursue my passions, but it seems like this might not ever become a reality.” Empathy expressed.

It was regrettable that the CS2 community, some of whom were encountering ESL Impact for the first time at IEM Dallas, showed such disgraceful behavior. Every esports community should be free from such toxicity associated with success, and it’s hoped those who spread such hateful remarks will choose to exit the scene.

Such hope might be too much to ask for.

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2025-05-27 10:41

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