FaZe left heartbroken on Dust2 again as Vitality secure Spodek

Three maps and two overtimes were required to separate ropz from his former squad.

Vitality are the second team into Spodek after prevailing in a thrilling series against Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool's former team FaZe.

Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire and company were jubilant after winning map one in 17 minutes and storming to a 6-0 lead on the second, but the mood turned sour as a ropz teamkill paved the road for a FaZe comeback.

A decider was reached on Dust2 with two overtimes, six clutches and a Håvard "⁠rain⁠" Nygaard auto-sniper as we saw both teams leave everything on the server.

But there could only be one winner and FaZe, like at the Major against Spirit, is who had to take the loss on the chin.

"ropz set a new standard in the team," Shahar "⁠flameZ⁠" Shushan told the broadcast post-game. "We were a bit lazy in some sense, we could have been more efficient in practice and theory. I can see that I can do 5% more every day."

A big narrative coming into the game was the rivalry from last year, where FaZe — off the back of some great ropz maps — only beat Vitality at the Majors but lost elsewhere and that record has been extended today.

The team will now face Virtus.pro to see if they will enter Spodek as quarter or semi-finalists.

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2025
04/02/2025	Virtus.pro 16:00 Vitality	Match

The Polish tournament is a particularly important one for apEX, the one trophy that has eluded him in his long career.

"if I get that it will be a second Major as an IGL and a Katowice, so I'll have won everything," apEX told HLTV in January, and you could see how much it meant to him as he maintained the old-school LAN energy from the French derby against 3DMAX.

It seemed like Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen would have the last laugh as Anubis turned pearshaped for Vitality, and it was the Dane whose reads (and individual moments) were making the difference for much of Dust2.

But, with Mathieu "⁠ZywOo⁠" Herbaut in stellar form and impactful rounds from William "⁠mezii⁠" Merriman, it was apEX who had the last word.

The match had some extra spice for both teams because of ropz's presence but also the knowledge that the loser would have to play G2 for elimination — a task that now awaits FaZe.

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2025
03/02/2025	G2 19:45 FaZe	Match

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ZywOo comes alive to deny karrigan

After patiently waiting for a lead, karrigan responded to apEX's teasing both in and out of the server.

His manipulative calling style worked to a T on the Anubis comeback, and on Dust2 he added some huge individual moments to his cap like this 90 degree flick onto mezii.

"I am 35 guys," he screamed over to Vitality, full of confidence the series was heading their way.

But it was the more quiet frag accumulation of ZywOo that made the difference at the end of Dust2, as he put together some bonkers Scout shots and crucial multi-kills down the stretch.

The Chosen One combined with mezii for the crucial 2v4 at 11-12, and ended the map on 37 frags and 100.1 ADR.

A window into both teams in stressful moments

ESL's listen-in feature was on proud display during the chaotic series, as we got to hear both in-game leaders discipline their teams.

apEX, dismayed by FaZe's Anubis comeback was first: "Why do you need to push for? I made a plan. Let me talk please. We have a perfect plan."

Then late on Dust2, it was karrigan who needed to add some shackles to FaZe. "We need to get in position. If you wanna do something else you call an audible to me. That's not how we're supposed to play."

It was a good window into what makes the pair, both IGLs of the year in 2022 and 2023 respectively, command such authority over their teams. It's their way or the highway.

FaZe's CT role fit remains a work in progress

Amidst the chaos and the clutches, questions remain over how FaZe are integrating Jonathan "⁠EliGE⁠" Jablonowski into their setups. On T side it's more simple, both in fit and due to the fluidity of roles on offence.

But on CT side, with all three of EliGE, rain, and David "⁠frozen⁠" Čerňanský wanting to rotate, it is a far more prevalent issue.

karrigan was deployed as the A Anchor on Anubis, a spot where he was often left alone to face all of Vitality's fragging core and one where rounds are won or lost.

On Nuke, EliGE was moved to Door from Outside and was sometimes overly aggressive out the hut. Then on Dust2, rain and frozen were less convincing as a site pairin than ropz and mezii under a barrage of Mid-to-B calls.

It was not the reason they lost in a game decided by minutiae but CT side balance will be a clear area for FaZe to focus on as they try and integrate all of their riflers into new positions.