BIG edge past FaZe to set up Vitality clash

The German team were made to work hard to beat a NiKo-less FaZe side that took the series the full distance.

BIG are through to Group B's upper bracket final in the BLAST Premier Fall Series following a 2-1 victory over FaZe, who are adjusting to life without Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač. The international team, now playing under Marcelo "⁠coldzera⁠" David's command, showed composure and character as they battled back from a map down to force a decider, where BIG's tight CT side made the difference.

The German team will take on Vitality for a spot in the BLAST Premier Fall Finals in a rematch of the recent DreamHack Open Fall playoffs clash, while FaZe will fight for their tournament life against Complexity.

Olof "⁠olofmeister⁠" Kajbjer showed almost no signs of rustiness despite this being his first match in over five months. He held his own for the majority of the series and even pulled off a 1v3 clutch on Mirage, where FaZe let a 14-10 lead slip as BIG made a late comeback and eventually took the map in overtime.

BIG looked intent on wrapping things quickly up as they got out to a 6-1 lead on Nuke, but then FaZe took the game by the throat and never let go. They ended the half down by just one round and carried their momentum into their Terrorist side, with Markus "⁠Kjaerbye⁠" Kjærbye leading the charge for the team in both halves.

Dust2, the final map, followed the same pattern as its predecessor as BIG cooled significantly after a red-hot start to the game. But this time around there would be no slip-up from the German team, who shut out the FaZe offense in the second half with a resolute defensive performance led by Ismailcan "⁠XANTARES⁠" Dörtkardeş and Nils "⁠k1to⁠" Gruhne.