Do you remember what you were doing at 17?

Well, we certainly don’t. But we definitely weren’t playing CS at the highest level on one of the biggest stages in the world.

Not because we don’t have the skill, of course. We just didn’t put the time in…

The big boys have arrived at IEM Cologne 2025 to kick off Stage 2, and with them the much-anticipated debuts of the game’s hottest prospects, as kyousuke, makazze, and zweih all got their first taste of tier one CS.

And they made it count.

Falcons, NAVI, and Spirit all walked away with wins in their opening matchups against GamerLegion, FaZe, and HEROIC, respectively. Each rookie held their own. Well, almost all of them.

Falcons were the only team with their second game scheduled on day two, facing off against Major finalists The MongolZ for a spot in the Playoffs. And let’s just say, it didn’t go nearly as well as their opener.

Unless your name is kyousuke. The kid tore through the opposition like a seasoned vet, but his team just couldn’t keep up. Hard to win when no one can hit their shots.

If only they had another star-player…

In a totally shocking and unexpected turn of events… Vitality destroyed everyone. Again.

They extended their BO3 win streak to 36, breezing into the Playoffs with back-to-back sweeps over Astralis and G2. Honestly, it’s getting kind of boring. Could you guys start trolling a bit? Just for fun?

While Vitality and The MongolZ cruised into the Playoffs, Astralis and GamerLegion cruised straight to the airport after lackluster performances. And calling Astralis’ showing “lackluster” is being generous - which we usually aren’t when it comes to them.

They got demolished in their elimination game against FURIA. HooXi ended up their top performer… with a 0.59 rating. Astralis won a grand total of seven rounds across the two maps. Sound familiar?

To wrap up the first two days of action, Group B’s remaining opening matches saw MOUZ make quick work of Liquid, while Aurora had to fight hard against NIP to come out on top.

Overall, it’s been a strong start to Stage 2 at IEM Cologne, with the promise of even more heat as the week rolls on.

Who are we kidding?

Vitality are going to sweep this entire thing in the most dominant way possible, and there’s nothing these young guns can do about it.

At least, not yet…