FaZe Clan, the champions of PGL Antwerp have landed in IEM Rio to defend their crown. One of the most difficult-to-understand rosters of all time, their dominance is inconsistent, but their greatness is undeniable. The pressure of Brazil, the crowd, back-to-back majors, the grand slam. Everything is against FaZe, which is why they walk with complete confidence.
One of the Greatest Rosters of all time
Finn “karrigan” Andersen – challenging for the greatest IGL of all timeHåvard “rain” Nygaard – the mega veteran who can just turn his game back on and win a major MVPRussel “Twistzz” Van Dulken – the prodigal talent who bails faze out with raw mechanics in the dire scenariosHelvijs “broky” Saukants – an AWPer that embodies FaZe Clan, clutch in his every fibreRobin “ropz” Kool – the modern-day coldzera, run from him, hide from him, he will not stop coming after you.Robert “RobbaN” Dahlström – an underappreciated legend of Counter-Strike, didn’t get to lift the trophy with his boys at Antwerp, you best believe he will want to lift it here in Rio.
Credits: Intel Extreme Masters on Twitter
FaZe Clan – Shaky at EPL and IEM Rio RMR
The defending major champions, FaZe have arrived in Rio. After their tryst with destiny back at PGL Antwerp, they cemented themselves as the best team in the world. Despite slip-ups at 3 big events, when the pressure puts FaZe’s backs against the wall, they tear the wall down. They bounced back at IEM Cologne and will look to do the same.
And this is their home ground. This is where all the pressure becomes real, where the legends are made and frauds exposed. Boosting FaZe, even more, is the constant crowd pressure they will have throughout IEM Rio. And to put the cherry on top, they could have the greatest major win of all time, with an Intel Grand Slam and the back-to-back Major being secured together.
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If FaZe does that, no one will challenge their claim to be one of the greatest rosters of all time. This is where they prove the haters wrong as they have done time and time again.
Failure at EPL? Can they repeat the Cologne bounceback?
The year began with FaZe’s JKS fuelled victory at IEM Katowice, and ever since then, they have won events in the most unimaginable manner possible. They were on the verge of elimination at ESL Pro League Season 15, but the downward spiral of Vitality managed to find one win to put FaZe into the playoffs. And once again, FaZe proved their worth, defeating NaVi and winning the event.
They then went into the major with some people still favouring NaVi, and once again FaZe proved everyone wrong. Not only did they win the major, but they also dominated NaVi in the finals. And it was rain at the front of the pack, picking up the MVP for the Major.
Then the Post-Major Burnout hit the team hard. They lost back-to-back events at IEM Dallas and Blast Lisbon, to Cloud9 and NaVi. The doubt creeps back in, can FaZe bounce back? And again, FaZe is unstoppable in their march to the IEM Cologne trophy.
Are you sensing a trend here? We come into Rio with similar doubts, FaZe just lost to C9 again at EPL, eliminating them early. And they had 6+ overtimes in the 5 maps they played in the RMR versus teams like Fnatic, Sprout, and GamerLegion.
FaZe Clan qualify for IEM Rio Major after going overtime in 80% of their RMR maps
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Expectations for FaZe at IEM Rio
Despite having one of the best years ever, FaZe has had everything to prove in every single event they play. And they live for that high, to prove the haters wrong time and time again. Once again everyone is doubting them. Their RMR games went overtime, they lost to C9 twice, and they don’t look as dominant. But one thing that nobody can do is name a better team in the world.
So for IEM Rio, FaZe Clan is still the biggest favourite by a decent margin. NaVi, Vitality, Cloud9, and Liquid are all contending for the title now. But FaZe remains strong and looks to make history with the Grand Slam Major. This is Karrigan’s year, and anyone who wants to get that trophy will have to take FaZe head-on to do it.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest CS: GO news and updates.
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