With shared third place at DreamHack Winter, compLexity put US teams back on the map for CS:GO. Winning against Titan and HellRaisers was more than one could have expected after the results at ESWC. However, hope for a big hit at the ESEA 15 Finals have been crushed by Titan and iBP, who made sure coL went away with bronze medals. Coming to EMS One Katowice, n0thing and his team are facing what is probably the hardest of all four groups, with three opponents all ready to step up and make it to the playoffs. The opening match against Clan-Mystik will definitely be a deciding factor in how the tournament will go for them.
 

Team	Latest accomplishments
compLexity	3rd at ESEA 15 Finals ​3rd/4th at DHW 5th-8th at ESWC
LGB	1st at FACEIT December 3rd/4th at Fragbite Masters ​5th-8th at DHW
Natus Vincere	1st/2nd at CIS Qualifer ​2nd at SLTV Finals 8 ​3rd at DHW Groupstage
Clan-Mystik	1st at ESWC ​1st at French Qualification 4th at DHW Groupstage

It's very hard to predict how LGB will do in Katowice. With some very impressive performances at the end of 2013, LGB are definitely a team to watch in the fight for playoff spots. Their latest results however have been very inconsistent, especially in the matches against other EMS One Katowice teams. The 2:0 loss to mousesports, with them only winning 10 rounds combined, was by far the hardest beating they've had in a while. Now they have to face even tougher opponents to keep themselves in the tournament, so it'll be interesting to see if olofm and his team can shake off the specter of their previous results and rediscover the spirit they had at their latest 2013 events.

Being on the big stage is something that Natus Vincere are pretty used to. The Intel Extreme Masters champions of 2010 and 2011 are back following some problems with the transition to CS:GO and are looking to resume their tournament-winning habit. However, their group is filled with top teams and the glory of their past can only help them by getting the fans in Katowice on their side. Their latest results against other EMS One participants look promising, however, and with the support of the fans starix and his team could bring back some of the fire they were so famous for back in CS 1.6.

The story of Clan-Mystik making it to EMS One Katowice is pretty impressive. Right before the French qualifier, LDLC signed apEX and KQYL and left the reigning ESWC champion team without two of their top players. Adding kennyS and GMX, first just to play the qualifier, it looks like this solution was actually a very good one - they ended up winning a lot of matches against some of the best teams around. However, they really need to bring that level of play with them to Katowice in order to survive the group. Despite coming from the lowest seeds, winning the ESWC showed their potential and the fact that they're capable of beating some of the biggest teams around.