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FaZe Clan’s CS:GO story

After a string of victories in the PGL Major Antwerp 2022, FaZe Clan have secured their spot in the... Laurence Stanley | 19. May 2022

After a string of victories in the PGL Major Antwerp 2022, FaZe Clan have secured their spot in the playoffs of the first CS:GO Major of the year. Since FaZe have been getting a lot of attention lately, let’s take a closer look at the team that’s among the favourites to win the tournament.

Ranked as the current number one CS:GO team according to HLTV, FaZe Clan is an American-based esports organisation with sponsorships from global brands such as Nissan, MoonPay and SteelSeries. Having won a total of over $4 million in prize money, FaZe CS:GO roster has caused quite a stir in recent years.

FaZe facts

  • CS:GO team formed in 2016
  • First offline tournament win at StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 3 in 2017
  • Total prize money won: $4,467,196.62
  • #1 Ranked CS:GO team as of April 2022

FaZe’s rise to the top

After starting life as a Call of Duty Clan in 2010, FaZe entered the world of CS:GO in 2016 following the acquisition of the entire G2 Esports roster. The team soon began signing some of the biggest names in CS:GO, namely Nikola “Niko” Kovač from mousesports, Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács from Natus Vincere and Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer from Fnatic.

FaZe’s early years saw a string of achievements including 1st place at ESL One: New York 2017 and ELEAGUE CS:GO Premier 2017.

Fast forward to 2022 and with an almost entirely new roster, FaZe are still bringing home titles from major tournaments. Their latest victory was at the ESL Pro League Season 15 after beating ENCE 3-1 in the grand final.

FaZe Clans victory at the ESL New York 2017

FaZe Clan’s victory at the ESL New York 2017. Image credit: ESL

The current title-winning roster

Håvard “rain” Nygaard (Norway): The longest-standing player in FaZe. He joined in 2016 when the clan acquired the roster of G2 Esports. He is known for his aggressive style of play and has helped to win close to $1m USD in prize money.

Helvijs “broky” Saukants (Latvia): Joining in 2019 following a short ride with Epsilon Esports, broky has since become FaZe Clan’s AWPer, with a consistent record in securing last-minute clutches.

Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken (Canada): Twistzz made strong impressions in CS:GO during his time playing for Team Liquid. After three years with Liquid Twistzz was acquired by FaZe in 2021 and now plays the role of a rifler.

Finn “karrigan” Andersen (Denmark): The in-game leader and entry fragger for FaZe. Karrigan joined FaZe back in 2016 on a loan from Team Envy. He played 2 years with Mousesports before FaZe acquired him as their in-game leader.

Robin “ropz” Kool (Estonia): FaZe Clan’s newest recruit and high-performing rifler/lurker. ‘Ropz’ was quick to impress after joining FaZe with his solid contribution to the team’s victory at Intel Extreme Masters XVI – Katowice.

Performance in Antwerp

FaZe secured their spot at the Antwerp Major following a third-place finish in the European Regional Major Rankings A. FaZe started the qualifier with a 16-4 win against Eternal Fire followed by a 16-14 win against Vitality. However, they struggled against BIG in the following best-of-three, losing 7-16 on Dust2 and missing out on a victory with their map pick Mirage, which ended 14-16. After a solid all-round performance and some spectacular clutches by Twistzz, FaZe sealed the deal with a 2-0 win against MOUZ.

Round 1 of the PGL Major Legends Stage proved to be somewhat of a disappointment, as FaZe suffered a 16-8 loss against ENCE on Mirage. Following the defeat, however, FaZe have kept almost a clean sheet except for losing one map in a best-of-three against Copenhagen Flames. Rain proved to be the strongest player of the day with an ADR of 88.0 and a 3 vs 1 clutch in the pistol round.

Karrigan

FaZe Clan’s in-game leader Karrigan at the PGL Major Antwerp 2022. Image credit: PGL

Can FaZe come out on top in Antwerp?

FaZe are due to face Ninjas in Pyjamas during PGL Major Antwerp 2022 quarterfinals, set to begin this Thursday, May 19. As the clear favourite of bookmakers, FaZe are expected to proceed onto the semi-finals, likely to face teams such as ENCE or Natus Vincere.

How FaZe will perform in the grand final will highly depend on how well their new recruit Ropz continues to perform, as well as their luck in the map selection process.

Header: FaZe Clan