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GamingHow FaZe Can Use Stage 2 Momentum to Push For CS Budapest Major Playoff Run
Somehow, the FaZe Clan bulls**t has returned. After scraping through Stage 1 of the StarLadder Budapest Major with a 3-2 record after some sorry performances, they’ve now blitzed Stage 2, advancing with a 3-0 record following wins over Passion UA, Aurora, and NIP.
It’s a run that has left fans reassured that there’s still life in the team, and with the players performing much better on an individual basis, there’s now renewed faith that they could make an unlikely playoff run yet again.
The Difference Between Stages 1 and 2
The big difference between FaZe in Stage 1 and 2 lies very much in the performances of their stars. In Stage 1, Helvjis “broky” Saukants and Jakub “jcobbb” Pietruszewski were, for lack of a better word, terrible. They recorded 0.96 and 0.87 ratings over the nine maps they played, and that just isn’t good enough for a team that is meant to be one of the best in the world.
The difference has been night and day as the competition has progressed. Broky is still somewhat disappointing at 1.01, but he put in a 1.49-rated shift against Passion UA, and his 5-0 record in opening duels for that game was a big reason as to why FaZe managed to win that game 13-10.
As for jcobbb, he played the best he ever has in a FaZe shirt during Stage 2. The young Pole ended the stage with a 1.25 rating, and he was especially strong in their game against Aurora to go 2-0.
Jcobbb has been heavily criticized during his time on FaZe, and not without reason, but the impact of his significant improvement in form can’t be overstated. The modern meta of CS2 relies upon aggressive rifles performing, and jcobbb doing his job seriously elevates the entire team.
Just look at FlyQuest for the inverse of that. Declan “Vexite” Porcelli was the highest-rated player of Stage 1, with a 1.64 rating, and FlyQuest soared, but they swiftly came crashing back down to earth as the Australian sank to a 0.55 rating, and the team went out 0-3.
Another reason for FaZe’s better fortunes is that they were simply more composed. Until BO3s become the standard series format at the Major, holding composure during the BO1s is incredibly important. In Stage 1, FaZe failed to do so against NRG, playing with a coach and against an inexperienced NIP team, whereas in Stage 2, they held out against competitive Passion UA and Aurora teams.
Even in their sole BO3 against NIP, FaZe managed to hold their composure. 9-3 down at the half on map one, FaZe pulled off yet another comeback in Budapest, having done so on multiple occasions in Stage 1, managing to close out the map 16-12 in the end.
How FaZe Can Push on to Playoffs
Stage 3 will undoubtedly be FaZe’s hardest challenge yet, as the world’s true best teams enter the competition, but FaZe do have the benefit of time.
It’s often the case, especially with BO1s, that teams who enter Majors in later stages come into the events cold. Given that FaZe played out a full Stage 1 run and then pulled off a 3-0 record in Stage 2, not only is there no concern about them not being warmed up, they’ll also be high on confidence. Even better, they’ve also got the time to work on some of their flaws.
So far in Budapest, FaZe have struggled on the CT side of Nuke. Even when victorious, like they were against Red Canids and NIP, the scorelines FaZe are recording on their CT halves aren’t reflective of what you’d expect for a map with such a favourable CT side. If they can improve on this, having already proven they have a strong Dust2 against Passion UA and Aurora, there are multiple maps they can rely on in their opening BO1s for Stage 3.
Of course, there will still be concerns about the form of Broky and whether or not Jcobbb can continue his performances, but momentum can be everything in Major Counter-Strike. Right now, FaZe have that on their side in abundance, and an unlikely run to the playoffs is starting to feel more likely every single day.
