IEM Oakland 2017 will be held for the 4th year at the Bay Arena taking place between November 16 till 19. Witness the action from the 12 best CS: GO teams, who will take the world stage, competing for their share from a prize pool of a whopping $300K.
Intel Extreme Masters started holding esports events in 2006 by the organisers of Electronic Sports League or ESL in short. Since then IEM competitions have become prestigious world events offering egames such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Warcraft, Quake, League of Legends.
Last year at IEM Oakland 2016, Ninjas in Pyjamas won the CS: GO tournament beating SK Gaming in the finals to win their first prize of $128K. Faze Clan came in third winning $30K and the star players finished in fourth place scooping up a prize of $29K.
At the IEM Oakland 2017, you will also get to witness the first PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds competition or better known as the PUBG Invitational. The best 20 esports teams featuring 80 players that will battle it out for a prize pool of $200K.
Why should you follow IEM Oakland 2017?
- Over the span of four days, you will get to see epic CS: GO matches streamed live via Twitch.
- Not only will you witness the action live from the arena but cheer along with many esports fans.
- You will get the privilege to see interviews with the best CS: GO players.
The IEM Oakland 2017 competition format will feature 12 Counter-Strike teams divided into two groups competing against each other. The top three from each Group will advance to the Quarter-Finals in a best-of-three. The playoffs will determine which squads deserve to be in the Semi-finals and proceed to the Grand Final for their chance of winning the first prize of a whopping $125K.
The Best CS Teams Participating at IEM Oakland 2017
Faze Clan
The European CS: GO squad have won the titles of Eleague CS: GO Premier and ESL One: New York competitions of 2017. Winning every CS map was an impressive feat that surprised many fans so Faze Clan are currently holding the first place as one of the best teams in the world according to HLTV.org. Losing the EPICENTER 2017 was just phase perhaps, let’s hope that the CS Clan find their motivational drive to win again?
SK Gaming
SK have participated in the Eleague CS: GO Premier 2017, ESL One: New York and DreamHack Masters Malmo and PGL Major Krakow, losing to top teams like Liquid, G2 and Astralis. These disappointing results have placed SK Gaming in second place as the world’s best CS: GO unit according to HLTV.org. With their latest addition of boltz from Immortals, will SK step up their game?
G2 Esports
The French unit have been crowned the masters of CS: GO, winning the title of DreamHack Masters Malmo 2017. Following this win, G2 Esports are currently the third best CS squad according to HLTV.org. The dedicated gamers will be putting their Counter Strike strategies to the test at IEM Oakland 2017 to give you an entertaining show.
Astralis
The star players have lately participated in the EPICENTER 2017, the Eleague CS: GO Premier 2017, ESL One: New York, DreamHack Masters Malmo and PGL Major Krakow. Astralis are currently in fourth place according to HLTV.org as the world’s best CS team. However, since September they have lost to top teams like G2, Faze Clan, Liquid and Gambit Esports. What surprises will the star players reveal?
Cloud 9
Their latest great win was winning the championship title of DreamHack Denver 2017 defeating BIG. While at the Eleague CS: GO Premier 2017, C9 lost to Astralis to finish third. Since DreamHack Montreal, Cloud 9 have improved as a team making it past the group stages in prestigious events. Their latest great motivation was winning against a tough team like G2 Esports. Will they step up their CS game against the likes of Faze Clan or Astralis?
Team Liquid
In the most recent CS events, Team Liquid were eliminated in the group stages of EPICENTER 2017 and the Eleague CS: GO Premier 2017. However, Liquid shocked Counter Strike fans defeating the top team, SK Gaming on two occasions at the ESL One: New York and the ESG Tour Mykonos. Lately expecting the unexpected is what made Liquid successful while also taking advantage of the opponent’s vulnerable moments in game.
Team EnVyUs
The Boys in Blue managed to be the European qualifiers to earn a spot for the upcoming IEM Oakland 2017. Their greatest win yet this year was DH Atlanta 2017, beating Heroic. The most recent major CS: GO tournaments that NV participated include Eleague CSGO premier 2017, ESL One: New York and DreamHack Masters Malmo. Taking a look at the past results since August, EnVyUs have tried their utmost but it seems like they do well in the qualifiers stage than in premier esports events.
Optic Gaming
The North American qualifier for the IEM Oakland is Optic Gaming, who beat Renegades and NRG Esports to earn their spot in the major tournament. The latest esports tournaments have shown they rank well in qualifiers however in premier tournaments they do not do so well ranking in between 5th to 8th place. The latest roster changes saw Rush and Tarik leave for Cloud 9, acquiring HS from Penta Sports, NAF from Renegades who will play along with Magisk, allu, Friberg and mixwell.
The MongolZ
The Mongolian team acquired their spot for IEM Oakland defeating MVP PK and Chiefs ESC who have eliminated Invictus Gaming in the process. How The MongolZ managed to pick up their gaming strength is a mystery yet to be discovered. Counter-Strike in Asian countries is not as big so it all depends how smart and brutal they are in their tactical CS strategies against strong European and American teams. If the MongolZ do catch on to be as disciplined and competitive as other continents, they will surely put on a show that esports fans will never forget…
