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Maikelele set to depart FaZe Clan after underwhelming performance at Columbus major

One of FaZe Clan’s Key Players Leaves After Disappointing Tournament

After a disappointing finish at North America’s first Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major, FaZe Clan has lost one of its most important players.

Swedish Counter-Strike veteran Mikail “Maikelele” Bill announced his departure from the team on Twitter Saturday evening, ahead of the upcoming DreamHack Masters Malmö event.

The reasons behind Maikelele’s departure were not specified, but it is likely due to the team’s underwhelming performances this year. Unlike the end of 2015, when FaZe Clan consistently achieved top-four finishes, the team has not achieved anything higher than fifth place in tournaments this year.

This includes the recent Major League Gaming Columbus major in North America, where the team lost to Team Liquid at the beginning of the group stage. Despite a win against Splyce, FaZe Clan failed to beat Fnatic in a best-of-three match to advance.

FaZe Clan is one of the most expensive Counter-Strike teams ever sold, having been purchased for $700,000 from G2 Esports by FaZe Clan in January.

Today, Maikelele will play with his former teammate Håvard “rain” Nygaard in the All-Star match at the current event, which could be awkward given the circumstances.

With Maikelele’s departure, FaZe Clan is in a precarious position. The team will either need to convince him to join them for the Malmö event on April 12 or find a new fifth player in a very short amount of time. Either way, the future does not look promising for one of Europe’s best Counter-Strike squads.