# ESL One Katowice 2015

ESL One Katowice 2015, also known as Katowice 2015, was the fifth Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championship, held from March 12 to March 15, 2015, at the Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland. It was the first CS:GO Major of 2015. It was organized by Electronic Sports League with sponsorship from Valve. The tournament had a total prize pool of US$250,000. The defending champion was Team EnVyUs, whose roster had won the previous Major as Team LDLC.com.
Eight teams advanced from the group stage to a playoff bracket, earning "Legends" status and automatic qualification to the following Major. Fnatic, Team EnVyUs, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Virtus.pro, Natus Vincere, PENTA Sports, and Team SoloMid were returning Legends from the previous Major. Keyd Stars was the only new Legends and became the first South American team to play in a Major and qualify to the playoff bracket. HellRaisers lost its Legends status after losing to Counter Logic Gaming and Keyd Stars in the group stage. The grand finals featured two Swedish teams. Fnatic defeated PENTA Sports and Virtus.pro in the bracket while Ninjas in Pyjamas defeated Team SoloMid and Team EnVyUs on their way to the grand finals. Fnatic then beat Ninjas in Pyjamas 2–1 in the finals. Fnatic became the first team to win a second Major, and remained the only team to do so until MIBR (attending Katowice 2015 as Keyd Stars) won MLG Columbus 2016 and ESL One Cologne 2016.

## Format

The top eight teams from DreamHack Winter 2014 ("Legends") received direct invitations to Katowice. In addition, eight other teams (the "Challengers") emerged from offline qualifiers.
Teams were split up into four groups, and all group matches were best-of-ones. The highest seed would play the lowest seed in each group and the second and third seeds would play against each other. The winner of those two matches would play each other to determine which team moved on to the playoff stage, while the losers of the first round of matches also played. The loser of the lower match was then eliminated from the tournament. With one team advanced and one eliminated, the two remaining teams would play an elimination match for the second playoff spot. This format is known as the GSL format, named for the Global StarCraft II League.
The playoffs bracket consisted of eight teams, two from each group. All of these matches were best-of-three, single elimination. Teams advanced in the bracket until a winner was decided.

### Map Pool

The seven-map pool did not change from DreamHack Winter 2014. Before each match in the group stage, both teams banned two maps. The map for the match was then randomly selected from the remaining three maps. In the playoffs, each team first banned one map, then chose one map. The two chosen maps were the first two maps in the best-of-three. If the series were to require a third map, the map was randomly selected from the three remaining maps.
* Maps
* Cache
* Cobblestone
* Dust II
* Inferno
* Mirage
* Nuke
* Overpass

## Main qualifier

The 16 teams at the main qualifier were separated into two groups of 8. The teams played in a double-elimination, best of one bracket. Four teams from each group, two from the winner's bracket and two from the loser's bracket, advanced to the Major.
| Invited Cloud9 Gamers2 KaBuM.TD Team Dignitas Team Liquid Titan Vox Eminor | Regional Qualifiers Copenhagen Wolves (Europe Qualifier 1) mousesports (Europe Qualifier 1) Flipsid3 Tactics (Europe Qualifier 2) 3DMAX$^2$ (Europe Qualifier 2) LGB eSports (Europe Qualifier 1) PiTER (CIS Qualifier) INSHOCK (Poland Qualifier) Counter Logic Gaming (NA Qualifier) ESC Gaming (EU Last Chance) |
* ↑ Only seven teams received direct invites because four of the five players from Team iBUYPOWER were banned by Valve for their role in the North American match fixing scandal. The bans were officially made permanent on January 5, 2016.
* ↑ Team WinneR was found to be guilty of match fixing, so the team was disqualified. 3DMAX took the vacant spot. Players of ESC Gaming were also accused of match fixing, but they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
* ↑ The Polish roster of ESC Gaming was picked up by Gamers2. ESC Gaming would go on to pick up a Danish roster.

### Group A

| Upper round 1 | Upper round 1 | Upper round 1 | Upper round 2 | Upper round 2 | Upper round 2 | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified |
| Titan | Titan | 28 | | | | | | |
| PiTER | PiTER | 24 | | | | | | |
| PiTER | PiTER | 24 | Titan | Titan | 14 | | | |
| | | | Counter Logic Gaming | Counter Logic Gaming | 16 | | | |
| Counter Logic Gaming | Counter Logic Gaming | 16 | Counter Logic Gaming | Counter Logic Gaming | 16 | | | |
| Gamers2 | Gamers2 | 14 | | | | | | |
| Gamers2 | Gamers2 | 14 | | | | Counter Logic Gaming | Counter Logic Gaming | Counter Logic Gaming |
| | | | | | | LGB eSports | LGB eSports | LGB eSports |
| Team Liquid | Team Liquid | 14 | | | | LGB eSports | LGB eSports | LGB eSports |
| FlipSid3 Tactics | FlipSid3 Tactics | 16 | | | | | | |
| FlipSid3 Tactics | FlipSid3 Tactics | 16 | FlipSid3 Tactics | FlipSid3 Tactics | 11 | | | |
| | | | LGB eSports | LGB eSports | 16 | | | |
| Copenhagen Wolves | Copenhagen Wolves | 8 | LGB eSports | LGB eSports | 16 | | | |
| LGB eSports | LGB eSports | 16 | | | | | | |
| Lower round 1 | Lower round 1 | Lower round 1 | Lower round 2 | Lower round 2 | Lower round 2 | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified |
| | | | FlipSid3 Tactics | FlipSid3 Tactics | 16 | | | |
| PiTER | PiTER | 19 | PiTER | PiTER | 3 | | | |
| Gamers2 | Gamers2 | 17 | | | | FlipSid3 Tactics | FlipSid3 Tactics | FlipSid3 Tactics |
| | | | | | | Titan |
| | | | Titan | Titan | 16 | | | |
| Team Liquid | Team Liquid | 10 | Copenhagen Wolves | Copenhagen Wolves | 4 | | | |
| CPH Wolves | CPH Wolves | 16 | | | | | | |

### Group B

| Upper round 1 | Upper round 1 | Upper round 1 | Upper round 2 | Upper round 2 | Upper round 2 | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified |
| Cloud9 | Cloud9 | 16 | | | | | | |
| INSHOCK | INSHOCK | 2 | | | | | | |
| INSHOCK | INSHOCK | 2 | Cloud9 | Cloud9 | 16 | | | |
| | | | mousesports | mousesports | 14 | | | |
| mousesports | mousesports | 16 | mousesports | mousesports | 14 | | | |
| KaBuM.TD | KaBuM.TD | 10 | | | | | | |
| KaBuM.TD | KaBuM.TD | 10 | | | | Cloud9 | Cloud9 | Cloud9 |
| | | | | | | Vox Eminor | Vox Eminor | Vox Eminor |
| 3DMAX | 3DMAX | 11 | | | | Vox Eminor | Vox Eminor | Vox Eminor |
| Vox Eminor | Vox Eminor | 16 | | | | | | |
| Vox Eminor | Vox Eminor | 16 | Vox Eminor | Vox Eminor | 16 | | | |
| | | | Team Dignitas | Team Dignitas | 13 | | | |
| ESC Gaming | ESC Gaming | 11 | Team Dignitas | Team Dignitas | 13 | | | |
| Team Dignitas | Team Dignitas | 16 | | | | | | |
| Lower round 1 | Lower round 1 | Lower round 1 | Lower round 2 | Lower round 2 | Lower round 2 | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified |
| | | | Team Dignitas | Team Dignitas | 3 | | | |
| INSHOCK | INSHOCK | 11 | KaBuM.TD | KaBuM.TD | 16 | | | |
| KaBuM.TD | KaBuM.TD | 16 | | | | KaBuM.TD | KaBuM.TD | KaBuM.TD |
| | | | | | | 3DMAX |
| | | | mousesports | mousesports | 8 | | | |
| 3DMAX | 3DMAX | 16 | 3DMAX | 3DMAX | 16 | | | |
| ESC Gaming | ESC Gaming | 8 | | | | | | |

## Broadcast Talent

Hosts
* Sean Charles
* Alex "Machine" Richardson
Analysts
* Casper "cadiaN" Møller
* Spencer "Hiko" Martin
Commentators
* Leigh "Deman" Smith
* Anders Blume
* Lauren "Pansy" Scott
* Stuart "TosspoT" Saw
Observers
* Joshua "steel" Nissan
* Yanko "YNk" Paunović

## Teams

| Legends Team SoloMid Fnatic Hellraisers Ninjas in Pyjamas Team EnVyUs PENTA Sports Virtus.pro Natus Vincere | Main qualifier teams Counter Logic Gaming LBG eSports Cloud9 Vox Eminor Flipsid3 Tactics Keyd Stars 3DMAX Titan |
* ↑ The roster of Team Dignitas was acquired by Team SoloMid.
* ↑ Team EnVyUs acquired the full roster of Team LDLC.com.

## Group stage
### Group A

| Pos | Team | W | L | RF | RA | RD | Pts |
| 1 | Fnatic | 2 | 0 | 32 | 10 | +22 | 6 |
| 2 | Natus Vincere | 2 | 1 | 39 | 21 | +18 | 6 |
| 3 | Vox Eminor | 1 | 2 | 22 | 34 | −12 | 3 |
| 4 | FlipSid3 Tactics | 0 | 2 | 4 | 32 | −28 | 0 |
Group A matches :
| Natus Vincere | 16 | Mirage | 2 | FlipSid3 Tactics |
| Fnatic | 16 | Inferno | 3 | Vox Eminor |
| FlipSid3 Tactics | 2 | Cache | 16 | Vox Eminor |
| Natus Vincere | 7 | Cobblestone | 16 | Fnatic |
| Natus Vincere | 16 | Inferno | 3 | Vox Eminor |

### Group B

| Pos | Team | W | L | RF | RA | RD | Pts |
| 1 | Team EnVyUs | 2 | 0 | 32 | 22 | +10 | 6 |
| 2 | PENTA Sports | 2 | 1 | 35 | 32 | +3 | 6 |
| 3 | LGB eSports | 1 | 2 | 36 | 35 | +1 | 3 |
| 4 | Titan | 0 | 2 | 18 | 32 | −14 | 0 |
Group B matches :
| Team EnVyUs | 16 | Cobblestone | 14 | Titan |
| PENTA Sports | 3 | Dust II | 16 | LGB eSports |
| Team EnVyUs | 16 | Cache | 8 | LGB eSports |
| PENTA Sports | 16 | Cache | 4 | Titan |
| LGB eSports | 12 | Dust II | 16 | PENTA Sports |

### Group C

| Pos | Team | W | L | RF | RA | RD | Pts |
| 1 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 2 | 0 | 32 | 16 | +16 | 6 |
| 2 | Keyd Stars | 2 | 1 | 41 | 36 | +5 | 6 |
| 3 | Counter Logic Gaming | 1 | 2 | 31 | 46 | −15 | 3 |
| 4 | HellRaisers | 0 | 2 | 26 | 32 | −6 | 0 |
Group C matches :
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | 16 | Inferno | 9 | Keyd Stars |
| HellRaisers | 14 | Nuke | 16 | Counter Logic Gaming |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | 16 | Mirage | 7 | Counter Logic Gaming |
| HellRaisers | 12 | Inferno | 16 | Keyd Stars |
| Counter Logic Gaming | 8 | Dust II | 16 | Keyd Stars |

### Group D

| Pos | Team | W | L | RF | RA | RD | Pts |
| 1 | Virtus.pro | 2 | 0 | 32 | 16 | +16 | 6 |
| 2 | Team SoloMid | 2 | 1 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 6 |
| 3 | Cloud9 | 1 | 2 | 35 | 46 | −11 | 3 |
| 4 | 3DMAX | 0 | 2 | 15 | 32 | −17 | 0 |
Group D matches :
| Virtus.pro | 16 | Overpass | 5 | 3DMAX |
| Team SoloMid | 14 | Nuke | 16 | Cloud9 |
| Virtus.pro | 16 | Inferno | 11 | Cloud9 |
| Team SoloMid | 16 | Nuke | 10 | 3DMAX |
| Cloud9 | 8 | Overpass | 16 | Team SoloMid |

## Playoffs

The winner of each group played the runner-up of a different group for each quarterfinals match.

### Bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| A1 | Fnatic | 2 | | | | | | |
| B2 | PENTA Sports | 0 | | | | | | |
| B2 | PENTA Sports | 0 | A1 | Fnatic | 2 | | | |
| | | | D1 | Virtus.pro | 0 | | | |
| D1 | Virtus.pro | 2 | D1 | Virtus.pro | 0 | | | |
| C2 | Keyd Stars | 1 | | | | | | |
| C2 | Keyd Stars | 1 | | | | A1 | Fnatic | 2 |
| | | | | | | C1 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 1 |
| B1 | Team EnVyUs | 2 | | | | | | | C1 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 1 |
| A2 | Natus Vincere | 1 | | | | | | |
| A2 | Natus Vincere | 1 | B1 | Team EnVyUs | 0 | | | |
| | | | C1 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 2 | | | |
| C1 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 2 | C1 | Ninjas in Pyjamas | 2 | | | |
| D2 | Team SoloMid | 1 | | | | | | |

### Quarterfinals
#### Fnatic vs. PENTA Sports

Casters: Deman & SPUNJ
Fnatic vs. PENTA Sports Scores :
| Team | Score | Map | Score | Team |
| Fnatic | 16 | Inferno | 8 | PENTA Sports |
| Fnatic | 16 | Cache | 7 | PENTA Sports |
| Fnatic | – | Overpass | – | PENTA Sports |

#### Virtus.pro vs. Keyd Stars

Casters: TosspoT & seang@res
Virtus.pro vs. Keyd Stars Scores :
| Team | Score | Map | Score | Team |
| Virtus.pro | 16 | Mirage | 4 | Keyd Stars |
| Virtus.pro | 17 | Overpass | 19 | Keyd Stars |
| Virtus.pro | 16 | Nuke | 1 | Keyd Stars |

#### Team EnVyUs vs. Natus Vincere

Casters: Pansy & natu
Team EnVyUs vs. Natus Vincere Scores :
| Team | Score | Map | Score | Team |
| Team EnVyUs | 16 | Cache | 12 | Natus Vincere |
| Team EnVyUs | 14 | Dust II | 16 | Natus Vincere |
| Team EnVyUs | 16 | Mirage | 3 | Natus Vincere |

#### Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. Team SoloMid

Casters: Anders Blume & natu
Ninjas in Pyjamas vs. Team SoloMid Scores :
| Team | Score | Map | Score | Team |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | 16 | Dust II | 8 | Team SoloMid |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | 4 | Inferno | 16 | Team SoloMid |
| Ninjas in Pyjamas | 16 | Nuke | 12 | Team SoloMid |

### Semifinals
#### Fnatic vs. Virtus.pro

Casters: Anders Blume & SEMPHIS
Fnatic vs. Virtus.pro Scores :
| Team | Score | Map | Score | Team |
| Fnatic | 19 | Cobblestone | 17 | Virtus.pro |
| Fnatic | 16 | Mirage | 8 | Virtus.pro |
| Fnatic | – | Overpass | – | Virtus.pro |

#### Team EnVyUs vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas

Casters: Deman & seang@res
Team EnVyUs vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas Scores :
| Team | Score | Map | Score | Team |
| Team EnVyUs | 9 | Cache | 16 | Ninjas in Pyjamas |
| Team EnVyUs | 10 | Dust II | 16 | Ninjas in Pyjamas |
| Team EnVyUs | – | Mirage | – | Ninjas in Pyjamas |

### Finals

Both teams in the final had at one point been considered the best team in the world, and the head-to-head was split right down the middle, with Fnatic having a 16–15 lead.
Casters: Anders Blume, TossopT, & seang@res
Fnatic vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas Scores :
| Team | Score | Map | Score | Team |
| Fnatic | 16 | Dust II | 14 | Ninjas in Pyjamas |
| Fnatic | 10 | Cache | 16 | Ninjas in Pyjamas |
| Fnatic | 16 | Inferno | 13 | Ninjas in Pyjamas |

## Final standings

| Place | Team | Prize Money | Seed for ESL One Cologne 2015 | Roster | Coach |
| 1st | Fnatic | US$100,000 | Legends status | JW, flusha, pronax, olofmeister, KRiMZ | Devilwalk |
| 2nd | Ninjas in Pyjamas | US$50,000 | Legends status | f0rest, GeT RiGhT, Xizt, friberg, allu | pita |
| 3rd–4th | Team EnVyUs | US$22,000 | Legends status | kioShiMa, Happy, SmithZz, NBK, shox | – |
| 3rd–4th | Virtus.pro | US$22,000 | Legends status | TaZ, NEO, pashaBiceps, byali, Snax | kuben |
| 5–8th | Keyd Stars | US$10,000 | Legends status | FalleN, fer, steel, zqk, boltz | – |
| 5–8th | Natus Vincere | US$10,000 | Legends status | Edward, Zeus, starix, seized, GuardiaN | Ugin |
| 5–8th | Team SoloMid | US$10,000 | Legends status | karrigan, dev1ce, cajunb, dupreeh, Xyp9x | 3k2 |
| 5–8th | PENTA Sports | US$10,000 | Legends status | nex, Spidii, denis, kRYSTAL, Troubley | alexRr |
| 9–12th | Vox Eminor | US$2,000 | – | SPUNJ, Havoc, jks, AZR, topguN | – |
| 9–12th | LGB eSports | US$2,000 | – | RUBINO, rain, jkaem, zEVES, Polly | – |
| 9–12th | Cloud9 | US$2,000 | – | ShahZam, sgares, n0thing, shroud, Semphis | – |
| 9–12th | Counter Logic Gaming | US$2,000 | – | hazed, reltuC, tarik, ptr, FNS | – |
| 13–16th | Titan | US$2,000 | – | kennyS, Rpk, apEX, Maniac, Ex6TenZ | – |
| 13–16th | FlipSid3 Tactics | US$2,000 | – | B1ad3, bondik, markeloff, WorldEdit, DavCost | – |
| 13–16th | HellRaisers | US$2,000 | – | ANGE1, kucher, flamie, Dosia, AdreN | – |
| 13–16th | 3DMAX | US$2,000 | – | diSTURBED, natu, KHRN, stonde, xartE | – |