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Taking place between 4th-7th November, the Intel Extreme Masters Beijing will be the last installment for IEM in 2019. With a prize pool of $250,000 and the world's best teams competing, IEM Beijing is one of the most stacked tournaments as we move towards the end of 2019.
Similar to ESL One New York, IEM Beijing is also an eight-team tournament with teams split into two groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the playoffs. Unlike the previous tournament, Blast Pro Series, IEM Beijing will consist of best of 3s throughout the tournament.
Group A
Astralis: The Danish powerhouse, after a string of disappointing results, are in search of consistency. This will be the first tournament in China for the team and they would love to win, especially with their recent nemesis and world number one team Evil Geniuses in attendance.
100 Thieves: After transitioning from the Renegades to the North American organization of 100 Thieves, this will be the debut tournament for the Aussies. After an impressive 4th place finish at Turkey, the Aussies are the favorites to go through to the playoffs alongside Astralis and they would love to perform in China in their debut event for the new roster.
ENCE: The past few months have not been that easy for ence as they look to put themselves back on the map after replacing their in-game leader "Alexsib" with star player "suNny". Since they don't have league spots in ESL and ECS, this probably will be the last event for the Finns for 2019 and another bad result here means fewer invites for them in 2019. Currently ranked 14th, they have a tough mountain to climb if they want to qualify for the playoffs.
ViCi Gaming: Only a very optimistic fan would give ViCi any chance of qualifying for the playoffs. The Chinese team would like to cause a few upsets and get to playoffs to play in front of their home crowd but the chances of that happening are very bleak.
Group B
Evil Geniuses: The number one team in the world will be looking to solidify their run and continue to gain points in the ranking system. Their biggest challenge lies in Astralis and they would like to extend their good form against the Danes and add another trophy to their cabinet.
Vitality: The French squad of Team Vitality have had a mixed bag of results since they brought in "Shox". After a 2nd place finish in Malmo, they had a poor showing in Turkey and they would like to change that with a decent performance in Beijing. Considering the form FaZe Clan have shown recently, their place in the playoffs is far from secure.
FaZe Clan: After a blistering performance in Copenhagen, FaZe would like to back up their performances with some consistency. With the tournament being best of three's all the way through, another good performance here by the international squad will spice up the race of the best team in the world towards the end of 2019.
TYLOO: Much like ViCi in Group A, TYLOO don't have a much of a chance for qualifying. The Chinese squad, notorious for causing upsets, could surprise us to put up a show in front of the home crowd.
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