What went wrong with FaZe at Rio Major?

The CS:GO juggernauts FaZe Clan have been eliminated from the IEM Rio Major. We have outlined a few of the many factors here that contributed to FaZe’s biggest fumble of the year.

FaZe entered the IEM Rio Major with high hopes as they were the defending Major champions as well as the crowd favorites. However, after suffering three straight defeats on the Legends Stage to Cloud9, Vitality, and Bad News Eagle, their hopes of winning back-to-back Major championships in 2022 and securing the Intel Grand Slam quickly became a nightmare.

So, what went wrong? How did a team that had previously won IEM Katowice in February, PGL Antwerp Major in May, ESL Pro League Season 15 in April, and IEM Cologne in July suddenly lose all of its effectiveness and fail to record even a single victory at the tournament? How did a star-studded team that had dominated the whole calendar year stumbled against the underdogs?

What went wrong with FaZe at IEM RIO Major?

Concerns over FaZe IGL Finn “karrigan” Andersen allowing Vertigo past the veto were expressed prior to the game on the analyst desk and on social media. This season, FaZe haven’t played Vertigo in a competitive setting, frequently being spotted prohibiting it. The IGL’s unexpected choice, however, was soon proved to be a blunder when BNE, the team with a 33 percent win percentage on the map, fought brilliantly and won the map in overtime. This may not first seem like a big deal, but it provided BNE, who were already persistent, a morale boost and gave them the early momentum they required.

The success of FaZe has always been attributed to their star player’s firepower, their outstanding teamwork, and precisely calculated decisions made by their in-game leader Finn “karrigan” Andersen. However, all three disappeared just before the disaster was about to hit them hardest. Only two FaZe Clan members—Robin “ropz” Kool and Russell “Twistzz” Van Dulken—finished their Rio Major campaign with positive K/D and HLTV ratings. Hvard “rain” Nygaard and Helvijs “broky” Saukants performed below expectations and finished the event with below-average statistics. While the IGL of the team Karrigan ended the competition with a ranking in the bottom 20 players, making him the team’s least effective performer. 

In the five maps he played during the competition, Karrigan only managed to pick up 87 kills while taking 109 casualties with an average damage per round of 67.1. In a post he shared on Twitter after the event, Karrigan accepted responsibility for their Rio Major blunder. The IGL also discusses the loss in a post-match interview following their match against BNE, admitting that the team’s traditional tactics did not work during the Rio Major.

From a different perspective, Karrigan’s below-par individual performance may have had a direct impact on his decision-making, given that the team was competing under pressure at Rio Center, where perhaps the world’s most enthusiastic crowd was in attendance. While the Brazilian spectators had sparked controversy before in the competition, this time their chanting and exhilaration indirectly impacted the North American team’s efficiency. The crowd was seen roaring for their favorite team after every kill, casualty, and round win while destroying the opponents’ morale.

There is nothing FaZe can do to change the outcome now that the damage has been done. The team will, however, want to make sure that this catastrophic form does not follow them to the forthcoming event. It’s uncertain how long the North American organization will remain with the same roster. Even if they do intend to switch, it’s likely that they will wait for their last tournament of the season to get over before making any adjustments. FaZe will be back in action at the BLAST Premier Fall Final, which will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, from November 23 to November 27.

Header: ESL