Kjaerbye speaks out after being benched by FaZe Clan

Jan 31, 2021

Reading time: 2 min

FaZe Clan has benched rifler Markus “kjaerbye” Kjærbye after six months with the organization, with former Team Liquid star Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken set to take his place on FaZe’s international roster moving forward.

While the news wasn’t an enormous surprise, the Danish player took his time to react publicly to the news. The now-former FaZe Clan member spoke out on the move for the first time on Twitter:

Benched from @FaZeClan – Feels disappointing right now, not gonna lie. I came into my first international team, with big dreams and high hopes, but sadly never really found the synergy and consistency. I respect their decision, and wish the guys best of luck in the future 1/2

— FaZe KJAERBYE (@KjaerbyeCS) January 30, 2021

Kjaerbye benched for Twistzz as FaZe moves on with five

Bumping Kjaerbye in favor of Twistzz came after two losses for FaZe at CS Summit 7, where it dropped best-of-threes to both the new-look MIBR and mousesports. Kjaerbye was inconsistent in those losses, topping the scoreboard for FaZe in his matchup against mousesports while bringing up the rear against MIBR. It’s an unfortunate trend for Kjaerbye since joining FaZe in August 2020, which has seen him struggle to be a steady presence on the server. Overall, the player didn’t live up to expectations with the team, failing to record a rating higher than 1.0 in the team’s 73 maps played over the past six months.

Some thought that FaZe might transition to a six-man roster after the addition of Twistzz and no immediate announcement of further roster changes. While the six-man roster is something that has become increasingly common in CSGO, FaZe looks to be content with a five-man lineup. A follow-up tweet from Kjaerbye that referenced his “next CSGO project” implies that FaZe has little interest in the idea at this time.

2/2 The season just started and, I am very eager to play. For now I am looking forward to grind a lot of FPL in February, while looking for my next adventure & project within CS. First being cut in my career, it doesn’t feel nice to not fit in, but it might be positive in end ????

— FaZe KJAERBYE (@KjaerbyeCS) January 30, 2021

The organization is now expected to move forward with Twistzz as the team’s fifth and final player as CSGO’s competitive season gets underway. FaZe is hoping that Twistzz’s signing will be the boost it needs to jumpstart Marcello “coldzera” David and company back into elite status. Fans will be able to check out FaZe and its new fifth on February 12 as it competes in group C of the BLAST Premier Spring group stage.

Ironically, the team’s first matchup of the tournament comes against Twistzz’s former team, Team Liquid, as FaZe tries to bounce back from its latest losses.