IEM Cologne Round 4: why Swiss became a tournament of trajectories
On June 14, IEM Cologne Major reaches the stage where every Bo3 changes not only the score, but the team's entire trajectory.
In Swiss, the winner is not the team that starts brightest, but the one that repairs its trajectory fastest.
Swiss after Round 3
After the full Round 3, the IEM Cologne Major table is much clearer. Round 4 high matches are BetBoom vs Vitality, Aurora vs 9z and NAVI vs Falcons, while low matches include MOUZ vs FUT, The MongolZ vs Monte and G2 vs Legacy.
This is the key Swiss moment: teams are no longer only building form, they are defending trajectory. A win opens a calmer path, while a loss moves teams toward elimination logic.
What June 13 showed
Round 3 confirmed that Bo3 stability matters more than one strong pick. NAVI survived a long series against The MongolZ, FUT beat B8, Falcons and Vitality won in three maps, and Aurora swept G2.
The difference between teams that fix veto during the event and teams that enter every series with the same problems is becoming visible.
Key June 14 matches
MOUZ vs FUT and The MongolZ vs Monte are especially painful-loss matches. BetBoom vs Vitality and Aurora vs 9z test who can hold the high side of Swiss. NAVI vs Falcons is the loudest evening test of tempo and map-pool depth.
G2 vs Legacy is a series where favorite status does not remove pressure: after losing to Aurora, G2 need to show it was not a systemic problem.