IEM Global Challenge Cologne

MorroW's prize ceremony at IEM Season V

Intel Extreme Masters - Cologne is a regular stop in the Intel Extreme Masters season. It takes place during the gamescom video-game fair in Cologne, Germany, since its inception in August 2009. Gamescom is the World's largest games event with 275,000 visitors, more than 5,000 journalists and 557 exhibitors from 39 countries attending the show in its third year.^[1]

Cologne was the home for the first ever premier StarCraft II tournament, with IEM Season V - Global Challenge Cologne in August 2010. MorroW, then playing Terran, defeated IdrA 3-1 in the finals to win $5000. He used Reaper rushes almost exclusively, resulting in an increase in build time for both Reapers and Bunkers a month later with Patch 1.1.0.

A year later, IEM Season VI - Cologne was the first multi-gaming event in IEM history to not include Counter-Strike 1.6.^[2] Instead, StarCraft II took over the main stage with League of Legends being added to the circuit for the first time.^[3] In the StarCraft II tournament final, PuMa defeated MC 3-0, taking home $6500. This win came just one month after his win in the North American Star League Season 1, also over MC, and solidified his status as one of the most successful players in the foreign StarCraft II scene.

With Season VII StarCraft II saw a 50% increase in overall prize pool, with the first place prize remaining $6500. This is due to IEM organizers choosing to pay a minimal prize to any qualified player, compensating for travel and accommodation fees. The event's time span has also been increased to allow for an open bracket to take place on location, allowing for more local players to compete.

List of IEM Global Challenge Cologne events featuring StarCraft II: