FaZe crumble against Heroic

A strong start gave way to a pitiful finish as FaZe found themselves battered by HEROIC.

In a clash between two pre-tournament favorites it was HEROIC who emerged triumphant, fending off a strong start from FaZe to win 16-7 on Inferno.

Once HEROIC had settled into the game it seemed there would only be one winner. They were comfortable in the majority of rounds and secured the clutches when the time came. FaZe by contrast ran out of ideas quickly after their initial 5-2 flurry, and suffered due to sluggish performances by Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen and Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken.

The key part of the game may very well have been the first portions of the second half. FaZe opted for force-buy after force-buy in the quest to keep HEROIC under pressure and to prevent them from building a strong economy. In the end it simply hampered FaZe’s own efforts, preventing them from getting a full buy together until deep into the half.

FaZe reminded everyone of their championship-winning pedigree by winning ESL Pro League at the end of March, but their form has been inconsistent at best since that trophy was secured.

Such are the European combine's immediate troubles that they were forced to qualify for this Major via the Last Chance Qualifier. They seemed in better shape in the Challengers Stage, but they will need to show a better face than they did against HEROIC if they are to succeed going forwards.

HEROIC by contrast seemed every bit the pre-tournament favorite they were touted to be, calm, collected, and confident in their play. By and large they were comfortable in this game after the first handful of rounds, and even if rounds did come down to clutches it was HEROIC that were getting them over the line. The Danes have only strengthened their title credentials with this showing.

FaZe head down to the 0-1 bracket to face Into the Breach later today, whilst HEROIC can look forward to a matchup with Apeks.