FaZe overpower Complexity as es3tag 30-bombs in BLAST opener

Strong fragging output from Helvijs "⁠broky⁠" Saukants and stand-in Patrick "⁠es3tag⁠" Hansen carried the European side to their first victory in Denmark.

FaZe opened up their campaign through the BLAST Premier Spring Groups with a dominant 2-0 victory over Complexity. The European combine, who are fielding es3tag in place of Håvard "⁠rain⁠" Nygaard for the duration of the event, overpowered the North American ensemble on Inferno (16-6), before putting the series to bed with a stellar display on Overpass (16-9).

FaZe will look to use this win as a way to build some confidence after what has otherwise been a rather shaky start to their time in Copenhagen. The squad originally intended to use Kristian "⁠k0nfig⁠" Wienecke as their substitute, but a series of events, including pushback from teams at the tournament and the fact that the Dane is already listed as HEROIC's sixth man, ultimately forced Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen and company to call up es3tag as a last-minute emergency replacement.

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es3tag steps in for FaZe at BLAST

FaZe now advance to the upper final in Group B, where they will square off against the winner of the series between Liquid and OG on Sunday at 15:00 . broky and es3tag were FaZe's standout players all series long. The Latvian and Dane's lethal precision caused their opponents trouble time and time again, ending the two-map series with 44 and 42 kills, and 1.54 and 1.45 ratings, respectively.

Complexity's opening-round hiccup consigns the North American side to a run through the lower bracket, where another loss would cast the squad straight down to the last-chance Knockout Stage. Complexity struggled to get much going in the series, with Michael "⁠Grim⁠" Wince being the only member of the quintet to average a 1.00+ rating throughout the game.

The action between the two teams began on Inferno, FaZe's pick, where slow and methodical takes of the bombsites justified their map choice and powered karrigan and company to an early 5-0 lead on the T-side. FaZe maintained their stranglehold on the game as the half progressed, and it took until the 10th round for Complexity to get on the board, courtesy of a splendid 3k hold of the A site by Johnny "⁠JT⁠" Theodosiou and his M4A4. This play by the South African captain immediately shifted the balance of power, with Complexity subsequently shoring up their defensive line and conceding just one more round en route to a more manageable 5-10 deficit by the side swap.

Unrelenting aggression characterised the start of FaZe's CT-side effort, the international mix leaving Complexity little room to work with as they waltzed up to a commanding 14-5 scoreline. A 1vs2 by a Galil AR-wielding Ricky "⁠floppy⁠" Kemery in the 21st round kept Complexity alive a little bit longer, but FaZe stopped any chance of a comeback in its tracks, successfully retaking the A site in the ensuing round to lock in their map pick 16-6 and force a trip to Overpass.

FaZe once again got off to a hot start on Overpass, with lethal marksmanship from Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken, who was sitting on 12 kills by the end of the fifth round, allowing the European composition to seize an early lead on the defense. Successive hits of the B site proved to be just what the doctor ordered for the North American roster, as Complexity's good fortunes on the lower bombsite began to eat into FaZe's slowly diminshing lead, 4-7. Alas, this run of good form from Complexity wasn't built to last, and FaZe soon returned to their winning ways to boast another comfortable 10-5 lead by the interval.

FaZe's monpoly over the series started to dwindle at the outset of the second half, a 1vs2 clutch from Grim in the 18th round providing a springboard for the squad to wrestle control of the game and reduce FaZe's lead to just one round, 9-10. Much like the first half, FaZe hopped back into the driver's seat once the economy swung back into their favour, cruising to match point, 15-9, thanks to stellar impact and consistent multi-kill rounds by es3tag. At this point, it was simply a case of taking care of business, with FaZe storming onto the B site to lock in the map, 16-9, and the series, 2-0.

FaZe had their newly recruited stand-in, es3tag, to thank for their victory on Overpass, with the Dane adding a whopping 31 kills to his tally to sit atop the socreboard by the end of the map.