Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023 Final Review - Hellcase Blog

The Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023 has recently concluded, and the final match was epic! Today, we’ll look at the Playoff Stage results and find out who received $100,000 and a deserved ticket to IEM Cologne 2023.

In case you missed all the action and now are wondering who won the IEM Rio 2023, read our overview to find out about all the exciting moments that made this tournament unforgettable!

IEM Rio 2023 Playoff Stage

First, let’s see which teams advanced to the IEM Rio 2023 Playoff Stage from the Lower Brackets of Group A and B.

On April 19, in the Lower Bracket Final of Group A, Heroic faced off against Ninjas in Pyjamas. The Danish team outplayed their opponent with a 2:0 score (Overpass 16:5, Inferno 16:10) and advanced to the Playoff Stage.

THE 5TH TEAM IN THE #IEM RIO 2023 PLAYOFFS 🇩🇰 @heroicgg 🇩🇰🇩🇰🇩🇰 @jabbiCS @SjuushCSGO @caspercadiaN @stavnCS @Tesescsgo @Xizt pic.twitter.com/v1nkZAX1od

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 19, 2023

On April 20, Vitality moved on to the Play-off, playing against OG in the Lower Bracket Final of Group B. They emerged victorious with a 2:1 score (Mirage 14:16, Inferno 16:5, Overpass 16:11).

THE FINAL #IEM RIO 2023 PLAYOFFS TEAM HAS BEEN DECIDED. @TeamVitality will play in front of the Brazilian crowd! @SpinxCSGO @zywoo @Vitality_apEX @dupreeh @MagiskCS @zonic pic.twitter.com/9LtxqNz0uX

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 20, 2023

Just a reminder, the following teams advanced to the Playoff Stage from the upper Brackets of Group A and B:

• Natus Vincere
• Cloud9
• BIG
• FURIA

So, after the Group Stage of IEM Rio 2023, only six of sixteen teams qualified for the next stage.

THE FINAL 6 #IEM RIO TEAMS HAVE BEEN ASSEMBLED. @natusvincere @BIGCLANgg @heroicgg @FURIA @C9CSGO @TeamVitality

SEE YOU IN THE JEUNESSE ARENA 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/w6sxOTJNdL

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 20, 2023

IEM Rio 2023 Quarterfinals

In the quarterfinals, four teams competed:

• Furia
• Heroic
• BIG
• Vitality

Two of these teams advanced to the semifinals, facing off against NAVI and Cloud9, respectively, who had already secured their places in the semifinals based on their performance in the Group Stage. So, which teams won in the quarterfinals? Read on.

FURIA vs Heroic

In the first match of the IEM Rio 2023 quarterfinals, Heroic won a tense battle against the Brazilian team with a 2:1 score:

• Inferno – 12:16
• Mirage – 16:12
• Ancient – 16:13

. @kscerato IS NOT MISSING 😳 #IEM pic.twitter.com/HJEMwUVGSY

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 21, 2023

ONE MAN SILENCES THE ARENA 😮 @caspercadiaN #IEM pic.twitter.com/osNmFuwIB9

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 21, 2023

THATS HOW YOU WIN THE PISTOL ROUND @yuurih 🤩 #IEM pic.twitter.com/06zvQy6D6D

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 21, 2023

After securing a 2:1 victory, Heroic proceeded to the semifinal, where they faced NAVI.

THE VILLAINS STRIKE AGAIN. @heroicgg take down @FURIA 2-1 yet again in front of the Brazilian crowd and advance to the #IEM Rio Semi-Finals!

12-16 Inferno
16-12 Mirage
16-13 Ancient #IEM pic.twitter.com/gDNeavlZyy

— Intel® Extreme Masters (@IEM) April 21, 2023

BIG vs Vitality

Vitality defeated the German team in the first quarterfinals of IEM Rio with a 2:0 score:

• Nuke – 16:12
• Mirage – 16:12

YOU DON'T JUST RUN INTO @zywoo WITH A DEAGLE 💀💀💀 #IEM pic.twitter.com/eAWr3WoBAJ

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 21, 2023

Would you clear this @spinxCSGO spot? 😅 #IEM pic.twitter.com/W74BEa9kIY

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 21, 2023

. @zywoo is a BEAST on the Jeunesse arena stage 🏟️ #IEM pic.twitter.com/vXcC7zY1PU

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 21, 2023

The next match for Vitality was against Cloud9 in the first semifinal.

. @TeamVitality ARE GOING TO THE SEMI FINALS OF #IEM Rio 💥

They do it with a clean 2-0 over @BIGCLANgg 🔥

16-12 Nuke
16-12 Mirage pic.twitter.com/OJHSq4RoNd

— Intel® Extreme Masters (@IEM) April 21, 2023

IEM Rio 2023 Semifinals

On April 22, the semifinals of the Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023 took place, and four teams competed for a spot in the final. The teams that lost during this stage lost took 3rd-4th place and received $20,000, while the two winners advanced to the IEM Rio 2023 Grand Final and competed for the main prize.

THE #IEM RIO 2023 TOP 4 👇 @natusvincere @heroicgg @TeamVitality @C9CSGO

Who do you think is going to make it to the Grand Final? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/4XIhczvHCD

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 21, 2023

Cloud9 vs Vitality

Vitality is the first, that secured a spot in the Grand Final of IEM Rio 2023 after defeating Cloud9 in a four-hour match with a score of 2:1. The French team lost the first map but was able to win the next two and sent their opponents packing just one step away from the final.

• Inferno – 6:16
• Vertigo – 19:16
• Overpass – 16:9

. @HObbitcsgo escorts @TeamVitality out of their map pick 😳 #IEM pic.twitter.com/2MnOSIN5WU

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 22, 2023

2HP NO WAY @spinxCSGO #IEM pic.twitter.com/XKmvgJQT4A

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 22, 2023

YOU ARE NOT BEATING @zywoo IN A CLUTCH #IEM pic.twitter.com/XnxJO5beFW

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 22, 2023

THE FIRST TEAM IN THE #IEM RIO 2023 GRAND FINAL 💥 @TeamVitality 💪 @MagiskCS @dupreeh @zywoo @Vitality_apEX @SpinxCSGO @zonic pic.twitter.com/Tvw8LcP2uv

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 22, 2023

Let’s move on to the following teams.

NAVI vs Heroic

Heroic defeated Natus Vincere with a 2:0 score in the semifinal of the IEM Rio 2023, starting strong on Overpass and winning in overtime. They also had a dominant lead on Ancient and were able to end Natus Vincere’s eight-month winning streak on that map.

• Overpass – 25:22
• Ancient – 16:9

NOTLIKETHIS 😳

WE ARE GOING TO OVERTIME #IEM pic.twitter.com/BpHaq13Z9F

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 22, 2023

. @s1mpleO is literally just running around with his knife out 💀 #IEM pic.twitter.com/9zNabjkW8y

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 22, 2023

It's @s1mpleO with a 1v3 CLUTCH to get @natusvincere their FIRST round 🙌 #IEM pic.twitter.com/xGDb0kbKOm

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 22, 2023

THEIR SECOND GRAND FINAL IN RIO DE JANEIRO. @heroicgg ARE IN THE #IEM RIO 2023 GRAND FINAL 🇩🇰 @caspercadiaN @stavnCS @Tesescsgo @jabbiCS @sjuushCS @Xizt pic.twitter.com/zLtJAhaUqF

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 22, 2023

Now it’s time to move on to the icing on the cake. Let’s discuss the Grand Final of The Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023.

IEM Rio 2023 Grand Final

The Grand Final of the Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023 took place on April 23, when two strong teams, Vitality and Heroic, battled it out for the top prize of $100,000 and tickets to the upcoming IEM Cologne 2023.

The teams picked the following maps: Vertigo, Inferno, and Overpass.

Vertigo

Firstly teams played on Vertigo, which is a signature map for Vitality.

The French team started on the terrorist side and had a successful first pistol round, which gave them an advantage in the following rounds. They also had an advantage in the force round after the pistol one and easily took a 2:0 lead. Vitality dominated, bringing the score to 7:1 in their favor. After this, however, Heroic took a tactical pause to take a break and change their strategy, which helped them win the first half with an 8:7 score.

The second half of Vertigo started with three successful rounds from Heroic, who were playing on the terrorist side. But Heroic’s dominance was short-lived as Vitality equalized the economy, taking the lead 14:11.

Although Heroic tried to make a comeback until the very end, Vitality proved to be stronger and secured the first map of the IEM Rio 2023 Grand Final with a 16:13 score in their favor.

Here is the highlight of the map.

Inferno

Vitality started on the CT-side on the second map and took the first two rounds. However, Heroic succeeded on the third, thanks to two eco rounds that allowed them to make a full buy and reach a 2:1 score. After that, Vitality was even more dominant in the first half and secured ten rounds before the switch.

In the second half, Heroic fought hard for every round to bring the map to overtime and the series to a third map. Finally, due to Vitality’s carelessness, Heroic tied the score at 11:11. But it wasn’t enough. With a score of 16:12, Vitality finally won the Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023!

Here is the highlight of the map.

Heroic has played in four finals in the last six months and lost three, including this one.

Vitality has won the Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023 with a 2:0 score.

First 🏆 of 2023 for @TeamVitality

📸 @theMAKKU | #IEM pic.twitter.com/8RvHzvqNZw

— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) April 23, 2023

ZywOo received the MVP award for IEM Rio 2023 following Vitality’s 2:0 victory over Heroic in the Grand Final.

Your #ESLProTour DHL MVP for #IEM Rio is none other than @zywoo !

Many regard him as #1 in the game right now – and a well-deserved MVP title after an insane week! @DeutschePostDHL

🔗 https://t.co/jdlThuWysn pic.twitter.com/XY3DAeHVir

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) April 23, 2023

Wrapping Up!

The Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2023 was an exciting and highly competitive event, with 16 teams battling to win the grand prize of $100,000 and tickets to the upcoming IEM Cologne 2023.

After several days of intense competition, Vitality emerged as the champions, much to the delight of their passionate fans. The team’s emotional reaction to their victory was a testament to their hard work and dedication to their craft.

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