FaZe Clan’s Dominance Comes to an End
FaZe Clan, one of the top teams in Counter-Strike 2, faced their early era of dominance being halted after their exit from the quarterfinals of the ESL Pro League Season 19 in Malta. The loss against the French squad Team Vitality marks the end of FaZe’s impressive seven LAN finals streak that started when CS2 was launched last September.
ZywOo Shines Bright
The defeat against Vitality on May 10 showcased the incredible performance of ZywOo, the star player from France. ZywOo’s dominant display throughout the ESL Pro League has been remarkable, scoring an outstanding 2.21 HLTV rating and securing 54 kills over 39 rounds. Despite FaZe’s strong T side on Vertigo, Vitality proved to be superior and secured a 13-10 victory. Vitality’s Nuke CT half, led by ZywOo and Spinx, overwhelmed the FaZe lineup with a score of 10-2.
Remaining Resilient Despite the Loss
Despite the disappointment of FaZe’s exit from the ESL Pro League, coach Filip “NEO” Kubski remained optimistic. He acknowledged that the defeat was inevitable at some point and praised the team’s resilience in the face of adversity. While the loss was a blow to FaZe, NEO acknowledged that Vitality simply played better on this occasion.
All eyes were on FaZe after their victory in CS2‘s first official tournament, IEM Sydney, last October. However, their dominance over the following seven months, although impressive, did not reach the same level as the Astralis era of old. FaZe’s consistency during this period, with eight consecutive LAN or online finals appearances, will be challenging to match.
Despite their successes, FaZe has faced playoff defeats against Vitality on multiple occasions. Vitality emerged victorious in both the BLAST Premier Fall and World Finals during this period. FaZe also suffered defeats against Team Spirit at IEM Katowice and NAVI at the PGL Copenhagen Major. Although FaZe was incredibly close to achieving greatness, they fell short in these crucial matches.
Looking ahead, FaZe is preparing for their next event, IEM Dallas, which takes place on May 27. NEO emphasized the importance of taking a small break to refresh and recharge. Given the team’s non-stop competition schedule, a rejuvenated FaZe Clan is sure to strike fear in the rest of the CS2 scene as they strive to claim more trophies this year.