In the grand final of the Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2024 (IEM Katowice 2024) held at the Spodek Arena in Poland, Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, a rising star in Counter-Strike 2, led Team Spirit to a decisive 3-0 victory over FaZe Clan on Sunday.

This win marked Spirit’s first major championship in Counter-Strike, earning them the top prize of US$400,000 and securing their spot in the IEM Cologne 2024. Additionally, their dominant performance throughout the tournament ensured their participation in the BLAST Premier World Final 2024 and Esports World Cup 2024.

Spirit’s journey in IEM Katowice began with convincing wins over Apeks and The MongolZ in the play-in phase. They continued their success by defeating Natus Vincere, Complexity, and FaZe Clan in the group stage, followed by a 2-0 victory against Team Falcons in the semifinals.

FaZe Clan, on the other hand, secured their place in the grand final after overcoming Rebels Gaming and Eternal Fire but fell short against Spirit in the battle for the top seed in Group A. Despite their strong performance in the playoffs, including victories over G2 Esports and MOUZ, they couldn’t overcome Spirit in the final match.

In the first map of the final, Spirit took an early lead on the CT side of Nuke, with donk showcasing his talent with 16 frags. Although FaZe managed to equalize the score at the half, donk’s exceptional performance propelled Spirit to a 13-9 victory.

In the second map on Mirage, FaZe initially took the lead but Spirit fought back to secure a narrow 13-11 win, with donk and Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov leading the charge.

The final map on Overpass saw donk’s dominance continue as he delivered another outstanding performance, securing Spirit’s victory with a 13-3 scoreline. For his exceptional contributions throughout the tournament, donk was awarded the Most Valuable Player title and achieved the highest rating in the history of IEM Katowice with a rating of 1.70.