ESL Challenger Katowice Recap & 2025 Predictions: Falcons, Eternal Fire, MIBR, SAW & B8 | Challenged Podcast Finale In the final episode of Challenged for 2024, hosts Sam and  @Darfmike  dive deep into the ESL Challenger event held in Katowice. Join us as we reflect on the emotional highs and lows of notable teams and players, analyze the dynamics within teams like Falcons, Eternal Fire, and MIBR, and discuss the impressive victories of SAW and B8’s promising rise. With the Shanghai Major RMRs on the horizon, we look ahead at what’s next for Counter-Strike’s competitive landscape and speculate on the shifts we may see in 2025. In this recap, we explore: The unique challenges facing Team Falcons and how even s1mple's efforts couldn’t bring them to victory. The internal drama inside Eternal Fire and its impact on team performance. MIBR’s struggles, SAW's evolving roster, and B8’s impressive potential heading into the RMRs. The current state and future of Tier 2 CS events and our favorite moments from ESL Challenger 2024. Recorded on: October 30, 2024 00:00 Introduction and ESL Challenger Katowice reflections 02:36 WTF happened to Team Falcons 05:48 Even s1mple can't get Team Falcons to fly 09:40 Drama inside Eternal Fire? 14:31 MIBR's underperformance 16:13 SAW’s roster and coach changes - are they a good thing? 21:16 Why are CS analysts so grumpy? 22:55 B8 - a team to watch at the RMRs and for the future? 30:52 ESL Challenger events in 2024 - favorite moments 32:11 The future of Tier 2 CS in 2025 Follow Mike on X: www.x.com/darfmike Find me on the socials: Blog - http://www.techgirlblog.com Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/techgirlza Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/techgirlza Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/techgirlza Twitch - http://www.twitch.tv/techgirlza Discord - https://discord.gg/SKvCd82nv4 TikTok - http://www.tiktok.com/@TechGirlZA My wish list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3IYV9R777HMQK/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1 My gear (shop it on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/techgirlza/list/3FH7APBG6UDTE) - Canon EOS M50 Mark ii - My PC: Z590-GUNDAM (Wi-Fi) Motherboard, ROG Strix RTX3080 Graphics Card, PSU ROG Strix 850G GUNDAM edition, Intel Core i7-10700 Processor & ROG Strix Helios GUNDAM edition case. - ROG Strix XG27AQV Gaming Monitor - TUF Gaming VG27VH1B