New Champion Crowned in Sydney: FaZe Clan Triumphs over Astralis in IEM Sydney Grand Finals
This morning in Sydney, Australia, a new champion emerged in the world of esports—FaZe Clan.
In a challenging best-of-five series, FaZe Clan came out on top, defeating Astralis in the grand finals of IEM Sydney. FaZe chose Cache and Train as their maps, while Astralis opted for Overpass and Inferno, and Dust II remained as the decider map.
Related: FaZe and Astralis Secure Grand Final Spots at IEM Sydney
The first map, Cache, was a highly competitive battle with both teams trading rounds, ending the halves with a 10-5 scoreline in favor of Astralis. Just when it seemed like Astralis had the map under their control, FaZe staged a comeback, forcing overtime and eventually securing a 19-17 victory. Finn “karrigan” Andersen’s impressive one-vs-two clutch played a significant role in FaZe’s triumph, along with Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovacs’ spectacular AWP clutch earlier in the game.
Overpass had a similar back-and-forth dynamic, with both teams exchanging rounds without a clear winner. FaZe came close to winning multiple times but allowed Astralis to catch up, resulting in a second consecutive overtime match. Clutch plays from Nikola “NiKo” Kovac and Richard “xizt” Landstrom sealed the second map victory for FaZe. In particular, xizt’s clutch seemed to shake Astralis’ in-game leader, Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, who struggled with his aim. Despite a remarkable performance from Emil “Magisk” Reif with 40 frags, Astralis fell short in double overtime, losing 22-20.
On Train, Astralis started strong with a 10-0 lead led by gla1ve. However, FaZe managed to claw their way back into the game, especially during their T side. Once Astralis swapped to the T side, they struggled to regain the momentum they had earlier in the map. FaZe’s solid defense prevented Astralis from executing their strategies effectively, ultimately leading to a remarkable comeback and a 16-14 victory. NiKo and xizt also secured several multi-kills throughout the series, solidifying FaZe’s 3-0 win.
FaZe’s triumph in the grand finals prevented Astralis from claiming their second consecutive championship win, following their dominant performance at DreamHack Masters Marseille in April. Despite being considered underdogs prior to the match, FaZe proved their potential by sweeping Astralis in three maps.
With this win, it appears that FaZe Clan has finally reached their full potential, securing the $250,000 prize in this tournament, even with xizt standing in for Olof “olofmeister” Kjajber.