The IEM Katowice 2024 Starcraft 2 tournament has concluded with BASILISK’s Joona “Serral” Sotala crowned as the new Champion after he beat Team Vitality’s Maru in one of the most one-sided final events. Sotala had previously won the championship back in 2022, and after missing his form in 2023, he has again made the trophy his own.
Sotala dominated the tournament from the start, beating several players before taking on Maru, one of the best Starcraft 2 players, eventually defeating him 4-0. He took home $150,000 of the $500,000 prize pool and will now be appearing in the Esports World Cup.
Serral Wins SC2 Championship at IEM Katowice 2024
The duo were always the favorites to make it to the Grand Finals, and when they did, Sotala delivered an extraordinary performance. While Maru tried to dominate early on in the match, Sotala was hell-bent on winning and showed unparalleled dedication, taking himself to a 4-0 win against his opponent to win the IEM SC2 Championship.
The event was held at the Spodek Arena in Poland, which saw hordes of people flocking in to see the intense competitiveness shown throughout the event. Serral talked about his win post-match, saying that he gave his everything and that it was his “full performance.” He stated:
It feels amazing to play in front of a Polish crowd. I think I gave this one my everything, and I didn’t really leave anything in myself. This was my full performance, I don’t think I can do much better.
This was one of the most exciting matches given that there were already several high-octane matches seen during the Group Stage and playoffs. Sotala will now play in the World Cup, the 2023-24 ESL Pro Tour Championship event, which will be held later in 2024.
Serral at IEM Katowice: The Road to Victory
The Group Stages for Starcraft II were from February 8 to 10, with four groups of six players competing in a round-robin format. Sotola was in Group C and topped his group with a spectacular performance, booking a spot directly into the quarterfinals. The star player continued his form, and dominated the quarterfinal, and beat Clem 3-0 without losing a single game.
He then proceeded to the semifinals, defeated Dark in the first semifinal by 3-1, and went into the Grand Finals for one last battle before claiming the trophy. Meanwhile, Maru was facing Cure in the second semifinal after beating his countrymen in the quarterfinal. He defeated Cure by 3-0 and went into the Grand Finals to face Sotala.
Sotala and Maru faced each other, with the former beating the latter 4-0. He won $150,000 of the total prize pool and also received $2,500 for most wins during the group stage.
Maru will again see Sotala in the World Cup as he received an invite for his performance during the event, and Sotala has already confirmed his place by winning the ESL SC2 Masters 2023 Summer.
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