FaZe showed flashes of life on LAN, of all places, after a string of dismal tournaments this year. The first upset of the day occurred on the 2021 IEM Cologne play-in stage. FaZe Clan defeated Complexity 2-0 today (16-13 on Dust II and 16-6 on Nuke) to advance to the main event of the first CS:GO LAN competition since the coronavirus outbreak began.
Even though FaZe overhauled its CS:GO lineup early this year with the additions of Danish tactician Finn “karrigan” Andersen and powerful Canadian rifler Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken, the worldwide powerhouse has struggled for the majority of the season.
Even Brazilian star Marcelo “coldzera” David recently moved to the bench, prompting Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer’s comeback in June.
FaZe’s performance didn’t improve much in their initial tournaments with olofmeister, but it was assumed that they’d recover at some point. That’s exactly what happened today in the first LAN competition of the year, which was ideal for somebody like karrigan. In addition to defeating Complexity, FaZe defeated Evil Geniuses, a team on the same level as FaZe, in the first round of the IEM Cologne play-in stage. Twistzz was their best player throughout this stage, with a 1.26 rating after three maps. However, everyone on the team pitched in.
With a confirmed position in the main event, FaZe will have the opportunity to build on today’s success and carry the momentum over to the big stage, where some of the finest CS:GO teams in the world will be waiting. Innovation will get another chance to qualify for the IEM Cologne main event tomorrow at 9:45 am CT vs LDLC.