Is Cologne make or break for FaZe?

What was once one of the most competitive lineups of 2024 has now been forced to re-evaluate everything before IEM Cologne.

"Sooner or later we had to have that really bad loss like this to be able to keep grinding and keep improving. Eventually, it would have happened, and rather it would happen here than in Cologne." - Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen

This is what FaZe's decorated captain had to say following his team's disappointing exit from IEM Dallas, a quarter-final loss to a G2 lineup fielding a stand-in.

Read more

karrigan: "We had a two-hour team talk for the first time in two years"

The Dane held his head high despite the unexpected result and recognized that FaZe had a good season overall. They won a title at IEM Chengdu and recorded an impressive streak of finals, which makes them strong contenders for the year’s most consistent team.

After IEM Dallas, karrigan made clear that FaZe had a game plan. Discussing the team's response after their early exit, the captain described a two-hour-long team talk, during which issues like positions, burnout, and how to improve into the next season were covered.

Although it seemed like FaZe were beginning to cool off from their red-hot start to CS2, karrigan was doing his best to reassure people that he and his teammates were keen on returning to winning ways in short order.

Cologne looms

"We have to lower our expectations. We are not performing as we need to, losing in different ways. Coming into Cologne, it's going to be very rough. We need to wake up and look ourselves in the mirror." - Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen

Fast forward two months after the conclusion of FaZe's IEM Dallas campaign, and the environment is now drastically different with IEM Cologne around the corner. The international side have now followed up their impressive finals streak with a new streak: four consecutive quarter-final exits, broken only by a 9-12th finish at the BLAST Fall Groups.

After the 0-2 loss to Ninjas in Pyjamas that sent them packing from the Fall Groups, karrigan painted a far more dreary picture of the team's hopes in Cologne. While the captain seemed to have previously been hopeful about fixing FaZe's problems ahead of the flagship event in Germany, karrigan was now blunt in stating that expectations should be low for the team, and that Cologne would be a tough event.

That FaZe are preemptively dismissing their performance at one of the biggest events of the year in this manner speaks volumes about their current state — an impressive decline considering that they had been consistently reaching finals mere months ago.

Confidence issues have been a major talking point for karrigan, who says that they are causing a lack of "killer instinct" which has left FaZe scrambling in tight situations. The in-game leader's dismal statement ahead of Cologne represents the pinnacle of this confidence problem, with the team seemingly having spiraled to the point that missing out on the Lanxess is simply an acceptable write-off in the long-term pursuit of fixing their current issues.

Confidence issues and individual struggles

"We will make this work, and I take a big responsibility in us failing. If there is anyone to blame, it’s me and not others. We will bounce back, and if not, it’s [on] me." -Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen

In addition to the aforementioned issue of confidence that has been a focal point in interviews with karrigan, the Dane has also been open about his own poor performances in recent times, while also attempting to take on the brunt of the criticism directed towards FaZe's players.

Despite karrigan's insistence that he receive the blame for his side's shortcomings, teammate Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool has been placed in the crosshairs amidst a mixed bag of performances that include 0.95 and 0.99 ratings in the team's last two outings before IEM Cologne.

karrigan quickly came to the defense of his long-time teammate, acknowledging issues of confidence while simultaneously assuring that the whole team was doing their best to alleviate these issues and support ropz during this slump. With that in mind, karrigan did acquiesce that, at the end of the day, it was ultimately the Estonian who had to be the one to believe in himself.

To point fingers at just ropz places an unfair burden on him. His role as a more passive component of the team fundamentally requires the more aggressive players like karrigan and Håvard "⁠rain⁠" Nygaard to provide opportunities for him to activate. This is not to say that ropz should be entirely absolved from his poor showings, but rather that those performances should be considered within a wider context that suggests more issues at hand than just poor form from one player.

What's next?

"Every player in every single sport has had slumps. It depends on how you come out on the other side. The most important thing is to keep doing what you do and keep believing in what you're doing." - Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen

Having grappled with FaZe's mindset ahead of Cologne, their struggle to maintain confidence, and the rough showings from individual players, the question now becomes: What does IEM Cologne mean for FaZe at this point?

As of now, the most reasonable conclusion is that the international side will still be in the process of reworking and reevaluating their fundamentals, acknowledging that they are simply not in any shape to contend for the title.

Aside from karrigan's earlier comments regarding his expectations for the tournament being "very rough," this long-term thinking is further supported by a comment the skipper made ahead of the Fall Groups when he noted that the team's priority at the moment was "trying to create a better foundation when we're playing our B-game," in order to give the team a fighting chance on off days.

Read more

karrigan: "We lack the killer instinct we had in '22 and '23 in big games"

While this is certainly a pragmatic approach, how much does it really differ from the other internal solutions that the team has surely attempted to implement over the course of the last two months? Furthermore, simply acknowledging that the trophy is likely out of reach for FaZe this time around may not be enough to buffer the hit in confidence the team would likely endure after another early exit from a tournament, piling on more problems in that department.

Some may suggest that a roster move may be In the cards for FaZe considering their downward trend. The recent success of the newly-revamped G2 lineup may serve as a tantalizing prospect to those advocating for changes, but it is unlikely that FaZe will be swayed in that direction for now.

Time is of the essence for FaZe, as only four events separate them from the beginning of their PGL Shanghai Major campaign. Making a change to their lineup after IEM Cologne would give the international side just three chances to stick the landing, a daunting task that may leave them worse off than where they started. Likewise, chemistry issues will also be a concern; a lineup change to a team as tight-knit as FaZe may end up doing more harm than good.

This is not to say that FaZe should not be concerned about the clock if they continue with their current five. While other top contenders like Spirit, Natus Vincere, and MOUZ are already warming up into the season, FaZe have been forced back to the drawing board after just one month back in action. If IEM Cologne proves to be a bust, karrigan and his men will have just three chances to make up for their dreadful start to the second half of the year.

At a minimum, FaZe will need to do their best to extract at least some value out of Cologne, even if they endure an early exit. To enter Cologne with a defeatist mindset and come out the other side with no progress towards improving represents the worst possible outcome, one that they should desperately avoid lest the rest of the year start to slip from their grasp.