rain: "If we beat NAVI 10 more times in a row, then I'll let the Major go"

rain says FaZe have a long way to wipe the slate clean against NAVI.

FaZe have been a constant grand final presence ever since the release of CS2, and they are showing no signs of stopping. The European combine has dispatched Monte and Natus Vincere in the ESL Pro League Season 19 playoffs, meaning they are well underway to another final.

With Vitality standing before them, Håvard "⁠rain⁠" Nygaard insists that neither the final streak nor the looming prospect of another Grand Slam adds pressure to FaZe, who are simply taking it one game at a time.

After claiming revenge against Natus Vincere, the Norwegian rifler talked to HLTV about Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen's match-winning play, his role in the team, and the expectations in Malta.

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Congrats on the win. That was quite the way to close out Mirage, right?

Yeah, karrigan had some crazy rounds. First a pistol round on the T side and then that ending. It was so fun, people started screaming after the third kill and thought it was over already, so Finn [karrigan] was running around with people screaming.

Maybe you guys had so much confidence that you knew he was gonna kill him.

Yeah, maybe. [laughs]

Considering NAVI beat you at the Major, is this at least a slight bit of revenge?

This is a one-tenth of the revenge. If we beat them 10 more times in a row, then I'll feel happy and I'll let the Major go.

For you personally, you've been playing in your new roles for quite a while now since the team signed frozen. How comfortable are you currently on the server?

I'm quite comfortable. I know my role and what I have to do for the team. Whether it's going in first, playing slow, supporting, or whatever it is. I'm very comfortable with how karrigan has set up everything.

What would you say is the biggest difference from before to now? The position on the map is obviously different, like the change from Toilets to Monster on Overpass, but is there anything else that has changed for you?

Not really, it's like B to A on Inferno. But to be honest, that's a change that I've been wanting to do for some time, I actually quite enjoy playing A on Inferno. So other than that, it's just about adapting to how frozen plays compared to Twistzz.

He's way more aggressive and takes more risks, if you can say. So it's about finding a balance so we don't all go for risks, which means some of us have to play a bit back if they're feeling it.

Now you have Vitality up next, which means it's quite a tough bracket for you guys. How are you feeling about your chances?

I think our chances are really good. We proved it at the Major as well, that it doesn't really matter if we meet Spirit or Vitality, whoever it is. Of course, Spirit is not here, but I think we still have the opportunity to beat all of the teams here. I think everybody that plays us knows that we can beat them.

It's also your chance to get a third notch on the Intel Grand Slam, which would mean you need just one more. Is that something on the back of your mind?

Yeah, of course. It would be nice to get another Grand Slam, of course. [smiles] But for now, it's just taking it one game at a time. Try to reach the final, try to win here, and then we'll see how the Grand Slam works out in the future.

You said you're trying to reach the final. A lot has been said about your Grand Final streak. Is that something that you discussed in the team?

We make some jokes here and there about it, but I don't think we don't go into the tournament putting extra pressure on us about getting to the final. It's been a very long year for us, and I think we're a little bit exhausted in that sense.

We're going to the tournament to win, as we did in every iteration of FaZe, we always play the tournament to win it. We're not really going to be happy if we go out in the quarters or semis.