The Argument for IEM Sydney 2023’s Real MVP

We’ve come to the end of IEM Sydney 2023, with 16 teams leaving their all on the server. Crucially, we’ve seen a ton of individual brilliance during the tournament, showing that CS:GO skills are carrying over to CS2 nicely. But who was the best of the bunch? Come with us, as we discuss everything IEM Sydney MVP.

The Official IEM Sydney MVP

With FaZe crowned champions,  the official DHL MVP of the tournament still needed to be confirmed. From the teams competing in the IEM Sydney Grand Final, viewers were spoilt for choice in the fan-voted award. Eventually, it was ropz who was confirmed as the official DHL IEM Sydney MVP.

You can certainly see why. FaZe were eventual winners, and ropz had his share of clutch moments to take FaZe over the line. His double-kill pushing a smoke to effectively eliminate MOUZ from the Semi-Finals comes to mind.

Certainly, ropz is one of the best we’ve seen on the big stage, and he reaffirmed that at IEM Sydney 2023. But was he the right choice for the IEM Sydney MVP?

The EliGE and rain Argument

While ropz was great, there are two other options you could consider the real IEM Sydney MVP: rain (FaZe) and EliGE (Complexity).

We already know rain and FaZe are a match made in heaven. The two have been together for years, but sometimes, he goes under the radar. Every few months rain will go quiet, then have a tournament where he reminds everyone what he’s capable of. So far, he’s perhaps the biggest beneficiary of CS2’s run-and-gun meta, and for our money, was the perfect IEM Sydney MVP.

We’re making the argument for EliGE, too. Pre-tournament, Complexity were not among the tournament favorites, but his individual form dragged this roster up multiple levels, all the way to the Grand Final. He’s one of NA’s greatest, and showed as much down under. EliGE performed in big moments, which is all they could’ve asked from him. Even in defeat, you could have EliGE as your IEM Sydney MVP, no questions asked.