BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Challengers StageFaZe survive Monte scare to get BLAST Paris Major underway
The European troupe needed all 30 rounds to ensure they move to the 1-0 pool at the Major in Paris, France.
FaZe have prevented an early upset at the BLAST.tv Paris Major by moving past Monte in a 30-round bout on Ancient in the opening round.
The victory, although hard-fought, allows FaZe to move to the 1-0 pool in Paris, with the team's next matchup set to be later on Monday.
Monte, meanwhile, will be disappointed that they were unable to clinch an early victory against one of the Challengers Stage's juggernauts. The Ukrainian-majority roster sat on a 14-10 lead at one point, but were unable to go all the way — even despite late-map heroics from Mohammad "BOROS" Malhas.
The two teams' Major campaigns began with a trip to Ancient, where Monte quickly took control on the CT-side thanks to a deadly focus on Lane to accrue a 9-6 lead by halftime.
This grip on the game only grew as the second half played out, with Monte making their way to 14 rounds with few issues — spurred on by strong showings from BOROS and Szymon "kRaSnaL" Mrozek.
From there, however, things soon went awry. FaZe mounted a stellar comeback with their backs against the wall, winning six rounds on the trot en route to a slender victory, even requiring a 1vs2 clutch from Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken in round 30 to ensure the map was wrapped up within regulation.
 Monte |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 - 27 | +1 | 100.9 | 73.3% | 1.30 | |
| 25 - 23 | +2 | 87.2 | 73.3% | 1.15 | |
| 20 - 21 | -1 | 66.5 | 70.0% | 0.97 | |
| 18 - 18 | 0 | 65.3 | 63.3% | 0.97 | |
| 17 - 21 | -4 | 64.9 | 66.7% | 0.90 |
 FaZe |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 - 23 | +4 | 105.0 | 76.7% | 1.40 | |
| 25 - 20 | +5 | 85.7 | 66.7% | 1.24 | |
| 22 - 22 | 0 | 92.2 | 80.0% | 1.15 | |
| 20 - 19 | +1 | 58.1 | 73.3% | 0.91 | |
| 13 - 24 | -11 | 52.0 | 50.0% | 0.60 |
On the other side of the bracket, paiN made quick work of their compatriots, Fluxo, to get their first win on the board. The Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt-led lineup smashed João "felps" Vasconcellos and company 16-2 on Mirage, a confident start to the Brazilians' Major campaign.
The stage is now set for the next set of matches at the Major in France. GamerLegion will take on Complexity, whilst G2 will lock horns with The MongolZ for a chance to join FaZe and paiN in the 1-0 pool.
| Date | Matches | |
|---|---|---|
| BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Challengers Stage | ||
| 08/05/2023 |
13:10
|
Match |
| 08/05/2023 |
13:25
|
Match |
Be sure to tune in to HLTV's live blog, which will be covering the Major in real-time with regular updates, behind-the-scenes footage, comments and interviews from the players in Paris, and more.
Johnny 'JT' Theodosiou
Ricky 'floppy' Kemery
Mihai 'iM' Ivan
Nicolas 'Keoz' Dgus
Isak 'isak' Fahlén
Ashley 'ash' Battye
Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač
Justin 'jks' Savage
Ilya 'm0NESY' Osipov
Jan 'Swani' Müller
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