FaZe Clan surge past Heroic for spot in IEM Cologne playoffs

Unexpected victories over Complexity, Team Spirit, and Team Vitality have landed FaZe Clan a spot in the IEM Cologne playoffs.

FaZe Clan’s CSGO division has secured a top-six finish at IEM Cologne after a dominant play-in round and multiple group stage upsets. The return to offline play could be a major boon to the star-studded roster. FaZe will take on Gambit Esports in the first round of IEM Cologne’s $1,000,000 playoffs.

The international squad was a popular pick for the play-in stage, but FaZe Clan’s seeding didn’t do them any favors. A narrow victory over Evil Geniuses on Mirage set them up for Complexity, the 12th-ranked team according to HLTV. Despite being ranked outside the top 30, Håvard “rain” Nygaard contributed 44 kills to get FaZe a clean 2-0 victory.

FaZe Clan was put in the “group of death” against Virtus.pro, Astralis, and Natus Vincere. A very exciting comeback against Team Spirit didn’t bode well for FaZe’s second round against Team Vitality. Despite losing the first half 5-10, FaZe surged to 16 rounds in the opener on Nuke. Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken was the man of the series with multiple clutches and a big Deagle highlight on Dust_2.

The deciding match against Heroic was FaZe’s biggest challenge yet. Ten CT rounds for Heroic on Mirage spelled doom for the superteam until the switch. Something must have clicked with FaZe as they racked up 11 consecutive rounds to secure their own map pick. A phenomenal performance from René “TeSeS” Madsen secured the second map for Heroic and forced things to the decider. Now on Ancient, FaZe unveiled their strategies for CSGO’s newest pro map and outmaneuvered Heroic to a 16-10 scoreline.

FaZe has already secured a top-six finish, but captain Finn “karrigan” Andersen has his sights set on the podium. The squad will carry a lot of momentum going into their first match against Gambit Esports. If FaZe wins, it will be the team’s third victory over a top-10-ranked opponent at IEM Cologne. FaZe Clan will begin their CSGO LAN championship journey on July 16.

FaZe Clan CSGO Roster

FaZe’s international lineup includes some of the sharpest guns in Europe and North America. Their roster for IEM Cologne includes:

• Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken
• Finn “karrigan” Andersen
• Helvijs “broky” Saukants
• Olof “olofmeister” Gustafsson
• Håvard “rain” Nygaard

The squad is a mix of younger talent and CSGO veterans. karrigan is one of the most experienced in-game leaders in the world and olofmeister is still a household name in CSGO. Broky and Twistzz are still carving their legacy. IEM Cologne is the first LAN tournament in over a year, which might benefit the squad. The younger players can feed off the energy as their elders appreciate a return to “real” Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.