On Monday, April 8, the Main team, led by the newly crowned in-game leader Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz, takes on Monte in their first Group B matchup at the IEM Chengdu 2024 LAN tournament. This clash against Monte marks the debut of a new, redefined roster featuring Alexander "br0" Bro, a former rising star from Astralis Talent, who just joined dev1ce and Co. from no other than the European roster, Monte.
With this fresh addition, the squad has fine-tuned its in-game roles, offering a new dynamic with Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard and Martin "stavn" Lund stepping into proven and preferred roles that hopefully promise to bring out their best. Led by the legendary AWP'er dev1ce, this Danish quintet is fired up to prove their recent progress in practice and bootcamps. They're eager to make a noticeable impact on the server with determination and the right fighting spirit.
Behind the Danes stands Casper "ruggah" Due, the 35-year-old head coach who has quickly brought a new vision and authority to the lineup. He's ready to see his team's strategies tested in real combat, marking a new chapter for the squad.
"IEM Chengdu comes at an excellent time for us as a team," Casper "ruggah" Due states.
"We've been working hard to establish a strategic foundation over the past month, from which we'll seek to gain experience. It's no secret that this will also be dev1ce's first event as an IGL, making it a great challenge and opportunity for him to make his mark and grow in the role. Therefore, I expect us to come in with a hungry attitude, playing a bit as underdogs and hoping to surprise several teams along the way," the head coach shares.
Integrating the br0 has helped the performance staff reshape the lineup, offering jabbi and stavn improved roles in driving match-winning plays, says ruggah.
"Tactically, we've focused a lot on creating situations where jabbi and stavn can have more impact on the rounds in collaboration with dev1ce, so we hopefully can leverage the elite skills we know they both possess," he adds.
"The opening match against Monte is crucial for us in China, as a win in the opening round would significantly open up the tournament for us and make the path to the playoffs much shorter. We're stepping into this Monte clash, confident in our skills, intent on dictating the pace from the outset to control the game on our terms.
At the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024 Europe RMR, the last face-off against Monte resulted in a 2-1 win. The guys won 12-8 on Ancient, lost 13-4 on Vertigo, and closed out the series on Overpass with a 13-8 win.
The IEM Chengdu 2024 LAN tournament runs from April 8 to April 14. With a staggering prize pool of $250,000, the stakes are high and the competition fierce, promising a week of intense gaming action.
In total, 16 teams are vying for glory and a spot in the grand final.
ruggah's troops compete alongside FaZe Clan, Cloud9, and Virtus.Pro in Group B.
As the tournament progresses, the Danish roster will most likely face some tough opponents as they fight for the $100,000 prize for first place and a spot in IEM Cologne 2024.
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