Intel Extreme Masters has announced the brackets for their world championship at Katowice. It shall follow the same format as the previous world championship with two groups playing best of one double elimination into a best of three semifinal and a best of five final for the championship.

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Group A:

Cloud 9 (IEM San Jose champions) vs

GE Tigers (LCK rank #1)

SK Gaming (EU LCS rank #1) vs

Yoe Flash Wolves (IEM Taipei champions)

Group B:

Gambit Gaming (IEM Cologne champions) vs

CJ Entus (LCK rank #2)

Team Solomid (NA LCS rank #1) vs

World Elite (IEM Shenzen champions)

Source

AlterKot

Poland7525 Posts

March 03 2015 17:24 GMT

I started writing down what cool matchups we'll probably get but then I realized that with this lineup it would be almost imposible to not get many cool matchups. get hypeddddddd

orzeu

Poland5205 Posts

March 03 2015 17:25 GMT

GSL format again, please league is not starcraft. Stop using this shit.

739

Bearded Elder29905 Posts

March 03 2015 17:28 GMT

Well, GG WP C9, lol. Curious for TSM vs WE.

Fusilero

United Kingdom50293 Posts

March 03 2015 17:28 GMT

On March 04 2015 02:25 orzeu wrote:
GSL format again, please league is not starcraft. Stop using this shit.

Ninja and motherfucking LPL champion aluka bo1ing their way to playoffs hype

BallOOnz

Canada23 Posts

March 03 2015 17:30 GMT

I think it's a good format. At least there is a lower bracket so there are more games between the teams, but not so many that its a long event. Good matchups and i'm so pumped for the first international tournament of the year. Go c9!

Numy

South Africa35471 Posts

March 03 2015 17:31 GMT

On March 04 2015 02:30 BallOOnz wrote:
I think it's a good format. At least there is a lower bracket so there are more games between the teams, but not so many that its a long event. Good matchups and i'm so pumped for the first international tournament of the year. Go c9!

Bo3, you play Bo3s not Bo1s man. Oh shit if WE knock out TSM that will be hilarious. Possibly even the best outcome we could get this tournament for hilarity.

AsnSensation

Germany24009 Posts

March 03 2015 17:32 GMT

I love this format. better than round robin groups.

Kluey

Canada1197 Posts

March 03 2015 17:38 GMT

Tough draw doesn't matter. You will get a hard opponent no matter what. If C9 beats GE, they could ride that momentum to the finals. If not, they drop to losers and start over.

AlterKot

Poland7525 Posts

March 03 2015 17:44 GMT

#10

Considering that this is 3-day event, I think it's the best format avalaible. I wish they could minimise times between games, perhaps extend to 4 days and go double elemination best of 3, but obviously not gonna happen (it would increase number of games from 15-19 to 29-49 :p).

Darkhorse

United States23455 Posts

March 03 2015 17:53 GMT

#11

So I'm not crazy right? The bottom bracket is significantly easier than the top one? Top is 1st place EU/2nd NA/1st place KR/2nd place Taiwan. Bottom is 1st NA/4th EU/4th KR/11th in China.

Oh well. I guess I'll go GE/SK and CJ/TSM?

NeoIllusions

United States37500 Posts

March 03 2015 17:57 GMT

#12

l0l the difference between TSM's seed and C9's.

Majax

France816 Posts

March 03 2015 17:59 GMT

#13

Gambit - CJ : REMAKE !
But Bo1...

niukasu1990

1007 Posts

March 03 2015 18:04 GMT

#14

It is funny that CN fans think TSM is a easy win and NA fans think WE is a easy win.

oo_Wonderful_oo

The land of freedom23126 Posts

March 03 2015 18:04 GMT

#15

Fuck, SK won't die to WE ):
I want to say that YoeFW is going to advance, but it requires them to ban Zed.

So, okay.
GE/YoeFW
CJ/WE

White guys inferiority complex will truly kick in then :>

Redox

Germany24794 Posts

March 03 2015 18:10 GMT

#16

On March 04 2015 02:57 NeoIllusions wrote:
l0l the difference between TSM's seed and C9's.

I dont think it is easier to advance from group A than from B.

GE > CJ
C9 = TSM
SK = Gambit
yoeFW < WE

Even groups imo.

Numy

South Africa35471 Posts

March 03 2015 18:10 GMT

#17

On March 04 2015 02:57 NeoIllusions wrote:
l0l the difference between TSM's seed and C9's.

Not even just C9s. It's the best teams of the their region(minus c9) in group A and the runts in group B with top NA seed. This is has got to be some of the most skewed brackets ever made.

Fusilero

United Kingdom50293 Posts

March 03 2015 18:11 GMT

#18

The bracket would look completely different if weixaio didn't decide he was going to be the best ADC in the world in S4 since we'd have had EDG instead. Goddamnit S4 world elite ruined everything ~_~

Ansibled

United Kingdom9872 Posts

March 03 2015 18:14 GMT

#19

On March 04 2015 02:25 orzeu wrote:
GSL format again, please league is not starcraft. Stop using this shit.

I mean the alternative would be a bo1 round robin most likely, I prefer this format. It would be better if it was bo3 though.

The funny thing is when people don't understand the format and think the entire tournament is double elimination and start yelling abuse at IEM on Reddit about how unfair it is.

Redox

Germany24794 Posts

March 03 2015 18:14 GMT

#20

On March 04 2015 03:10 Numy wrote:

Show nested quote +

Not even just C9s. It's the best teams of the their region(minus c9) in group A and the runts in group B with top NA seed. This is has got to be some of the most skewed brackets ever made.

Dont agree at all, can you explain?