Liquid beats HEROIC 2-0 at IEM Cologne, will face FlyQuest

Liquid eliminated HEROIC from Stage 1 of the IEM Cologne Major in Cologne on May 6, 2026, with a 2–0 series win in the 1-2 pool. The maps were Nuke, 13–5, and Inferno, 13–11. Liquid will meet FlyQuest in the 2–2 pool for a place in Stage 2.

On Nuke Liquid lost the opening pistol round but then won six straight rounds to build a 13–5 score. Keith “NAF” Markovic, Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski and Roland “ultimate” Tomkowiak all produced key rounds for Liquid. Christoffer “Chr1zN” Storgaard had two multi-kills for HEROIC but the team did not recover on the first map.

On Inferno Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa opened 6–1, forcing HEROIC onto the defensive. HEROIC won four rounds before halftime and converted the second pistol to narrow the gap in the second half. MalbsMd then recorded a triple followed by a quad to push Liquid into double digits. HEROIC won several rounds late, including a converted 5v3 and a 2v1, but Liquid sealed the map in round 24 to complete the series.

Individual statistics showed malbsMd leading Liquid with 37 kills, 26 deaths, an 89.9 average damage per round and a 1.50 rating. EliGE finished with 37 kills, 88.3 ADR and a 1.35 rating. NAF posted 37 kills and 24 deaths with a 98.0 ADR and a 1.33 rating. For HEROIC, Chr1zN ended 32-32 with 83.4 ADR and a 1.31 rating. Linus “nilo” Bergmann recorded 29-32 (66.2 ADR, 1.09 rating) and stand-in Simon “yxngstxr” Boije went 27-31 (71.9 ADR, 1.01 rating). Tim “susp” Ångström and Yasin “xfl0ud” Koç finished 19-32 and 15-33 respectively.

HEROIC entered the event using Simon “yxngstxr” Boije as a stand-in for Alimzhan “Alkaren” Bitimbay. The team had won DraculaN Season 5 and placed second at the CCT Global Finals earlier in the season but arrived at Cologne after five straight series losses. In Stage 1 HEROIC recorded a single win, over Gaimin Gladiators, and suffered best-of-one defeats to Lynn Vision and Sharks.

After the match, Chr1zN told Tres “stunna” Saranthus that the team had not been playing at its expected level and that pressure had caused errors: “This last part of the season hasn’t been ideal at all, and far from acceptable… We just crumble under the pressure.”

Liquid advances to the 2–2 pool later in Stage 1; a win against FlyQuest will secure their place in Stage 2. HEROIC’s run at IEM Cologne ends with the loss in Cologne.