Big changes might be coming to FaZe Clan.
According to a report by EGamers World, the organization is set to retool its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team. Per Alexei “OverDrive” Biryukov, Filip “NEO” Kubski and Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács are set to depart the organization and will be replaced by MiBR star Marcelo “coldzera” David and former ENCE Esports in-game leader Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen.
Neither FaZe Clan nor the individual players have issued a statement or publicly confirmed them to be true, but the news follows lingering rumors about most of the involved parties.
Coldzera has been going through a long and ugly divorce with his former team. The player requested his benching, with MiBR obliging in July. The team competed at the StarLadder Berlin Major with coach Wilton “zews” Prado as a substitute and was eliminated from the Legends Stage with a 1-3 record.
While a departure from the team was expected, he became linked to FaZe Clan specifically when star player Nikola “NiKo” Kovač responded to an Instagram post by Coldzera with a “FaZe Up” hashtag. Reports have popped up from various outlets in the weeks since, suggesting the two sides were seeking to come together.
More recently, NEO and GuardiaN have been suspected to be on the outs with FaZe. The two were missing from FaZe Clan scrims earlier this week, which immediately led to speculation that their time with the team is over.
Aleksib has technically been a free agent for weeks now. Shortly before the start of the Berlin Major, the player announced that he was being cut from the team in favor of Miikka “suNny” Kemppi. Despite that sad news, ENCE still performed well at the major, placing in the top eight with a 3-0 run through the Legends Stage. Though he was not previously linked to FaZe, the departure of NEO leaves a void in the in-game leader spot that he could fill well.
FaZe loses at the StarLadder Berlin Major
The reports of a roster shakeup follow a disappointing performance at the StarLadder Berlin Major. The team was inconsistent throughout the summer but was still looked at as a solid candidate to reach the playoffs. They got off to a strong start by beating Mousesports, but lost every other game from there, getting eliminated with a 1-3 record.
That was good enough to avoid relegation to the minors for the next CSGO major, but it was still a big let-down for the team.
Answers on FaZe’s roster will be coming soon, one way or the other. The team is set to compete at ESL One New York on September 26. Expect an official announcement from FaZe before then.
