Gen.G makes it to IEM Kaotwice closed qualifier after early loss

Gen.G’s first outing as a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team didn’t go as planned, but the team came back strong and took home a closed qualifier spot in round two of the IEM Katowice open qualifiers.

Gen.G‘s jumbled team had everyone worried on the first day of the IEM Katowice open qualifiers when the new team fell to Just for Fun, a team comprised of veteran players who have found themselves on the outside looking in on the CSGO scene in North America.

Just For Fun fielded Yassine “Subroza” Taoufik, Abdo “c4lyps” Agha, Tyson “TenZ” Ngo, Jeff “RZU” Ngo, and Matthew “no_one” Congdo. These players are experienced and can cause real damage when underestimated, as Gen.G found out earlier this week.

Down 14-9, Just For Fun managed an impressive eight rounds in a row on their CT side, completing a second-half comeback and stunning a Gen.G team that was heavily favored to win. Thankfully, the loss didn’t seen to throw off Gen.G’s new roster overly much.

The Gen.G squad is comprised of Timothy “autimatic” Ta, Damian “daps” Steele, Kenneth “koosta” Suen, and Sam “s0m” Oh. Rumors have connected Hansel “BnTeT“ Ferdinand to Gen.G recently, but it is currently ex-Complexity player Hunter “SicK” Mimms filling in the fifth spot on for the team.

Round two went better for Gen.G as they fought through Holding W on Train with a 16-8 win on Mirage. Afterward, autimatic and company rematched Just For Fun in a best-of-three that saw Gen.G act like an actual pro Counter-Strike team. After losing on Train in the previous matchup, Gen.G took the rematch on the map 16-7 before pounding Just For Fun 16-4 on Inferno. 

The win puts Gen.G firmly in control of their own destiny going into the IEM Katowice closed qualifiers that start on January 7. Gen.G will face off against stiff competition in INTZ, Riot Squad, and Chaos Esports Club in a double-elimination best-of-three bracket with a best-of-five grand final. The winner gets a spot at one of CSGO’s biggest events of the year, IEM Katowice 2020.