FaZe and Vitality one win away from Austin playoffs

s1mple delivered a strong performance to power FaZe to their second win in Stage 3.

FaZe and Vitality have moved into the 2-1 pool in the Austin Major's Stage 3 after moving past Legacy and 3DMAX, respectively, which puts them one victory away from reaching the quarter-finals.

FaZe's bout with Legacy was a rematch of the Stage 2 round 3 series, which the Brazilians won convincingly in two maps. Today's game was a completely different story as FaZe ran out 13-8 winners, their victory decorated by a strong display from Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev.

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The Ukrainian AWPer was a menace during the first half on the AWP, posting a 12-5 score and winning four of his five opening duels to help FaZe recover from a 4-0 start.

FaZe carried their momentum into the second half and won the first six rounds on the T side to reach match point. Legacy's still tried to respond, but it merely delayed the inevitable.

Meanwhile, Vitality made light work of 3DMAX on Nuke, a game that began with a highlight-of-the-year contender as Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool picked up a Dualies ace on ramps within three seconds.

That round set the tone for the rest of the game as 3DMAX never posed a threat to their opponents, who seem to be getting closer to their best form after their opening-round upset against Legacy.