This IEM Chengdu was packed with excitement and upsets. Considering the tournament's time zone, many viewers from Europe couldn't watch the games live, therefore, in this article, I'll review what happened throughout the Group Stage.

During the Opening Stage of Group A, 9z suffered a close loss against G2 Esports on Nuke. G2 beat them 13-10 after a stellar performance from the Bosnian Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač and the Serbian Nemanja 'nexa' Isaković, pulling out a 1.63 and 1.50 HLTV Rating, respectively. Nicolás 'buda' Kramer was topping the scoreboard for his team with a 1.59 rating; it was a valiant effort, but alas, G2 came out on top.

Liquid, however, managed to trample HEROIC on Ancient with a 13-8 scoreline, following a relatively poor showing from the Danish AWPer Nico 'nicoodoz' Tamjidi, having only a 0.57 HLTV Rating, with 31 ADR and only five kills to his name. On the other hand, Russel 'Twistzz' Van Dulken topped the game with 21 kills and 89 ADR.

MOUZ barely scraped by TYLOO on Overpass, knocking them down to the lower bracket. Was it a good showing by TYLOO or an abysmal one by MOUZ? Kamil 'siuhy' Szkaradek secured a crucial 1v2 during the Pistol round of the second half. However, earlier in the game, Jingxiang 'Mercury' Wang opened up the B site with a stellar quad kill; uncoincidentally, he also topped the scoreboard for his team with 20 kills, 96 ADR, and 1.29 rating. Yi 'JamYoung' Yang came close with 19 kills, 89 ADR, and a 1.26 rating. On the other side of the coin was Jimi 'Jimpphat' Salo, with 25 kills, a whopping 111 ADR, and a 1.63 rating, carrying his team over the finish line.

FURIA won an unsurprising victory against Lynn Vision on Ancient, thanks to a beautiful display of skill throughout the entire Brazilian roster. It was a brilliant team game from FURIA's side. Lynn Vision put up a fight, but it wasn't enough in the end, as they only got nine rounds in the Upper Bracket Quarter-Final.

In the Upper Bracket Semi-Final, Liquid managed a convincing 2-1 victory over G2, with Twistzz again topping the charts with a 1.35 rating, nearly 90 ADR, and 57 kills across the three maps, Ilya 'm0NESY' Osipov, unsurprisingly, on top of the scoreboard for his team's side, with 56 kills, 84 ADR and a 1.30 Rating, it was not sufficient, however, as with this loss, Liquid knocked m0NESY and co down to the Lower Bracket Semi-Finals. MOUZ took down FURIA similarly to Liquid, 2-1, with a relatively poor showing from Andrei 'arT' Piovezan and Yuri 'yuurih' Santos on the third and final map, therefore moving on to the Upper Final, and going on to beat Liquid 2-0, securing their spot in the Semi-Final of the Playoffs Stage; facing the victor of Virtus Pro and G2, and Liquid forced to the Quarter-Final.

Moving on to the lower bracket, HEROIC managed to take down 9z 2-0 with relative ease, meeting FURIA in the semi-final, who posed a challenge during the first map, but ultimately, HEROIC came out on top with a 2-1 scoreline, only to fall in the final to G2. Lynn Vision's journey was short-lived past the lower bracket quarter-final, having beat TYLOO in a convincing fashion, 2-0, falling to G2 shortly after. That said, G2 clawed through the lower brackets for a spot at the IEM Chengdu playoff stage, where they'll be facing the formidable Virtus Pro, with Twistzz facing his old team in FaZe Clan.

As for Group B, it was uninteresting for the most part, except for FlyQuest managing to take down Cloud9—the heavy favorites in that match-up—13-6. FaZe Clan didn't face difficulties running into Nemiga, beating them 13-8. Astralis, with a spectacular run throughout this tournament, demolished Steel Helmet 13-2 and did the same to FaZe Clan 2-0, 13-7, and 13-4, which was unexpected, and then went on to do it yet again to Virtus Pro, securing their spot in the semi-final of the playoff stage, where they'll be facing the winner of Liquid VS. FaZe. FaZe Clan, however, similarly to G2, made it through the lower bracket to qualify for the playoffs stage.

In conclusion, the group stage of the IEM Chengdu 2024 Counter-Strike event was a thrilling showcase of skill, strategy, and competitive spirit. From established titans to rising stars, the tournament brought together the best and brightest in the Counter-Strike scene, captivating audiences worldwide with its electrifying gameplay and unforgettable moments. As the playoffs loomed on the horizon, fans eagerly awaited the next chapter in this epic saga, where legends would be made and legacies forged in the fires of competition.