Liquid comes out ahead of FaZe in the clash of European mixes
The Group C upper bracket finals saw the clash of two powerhouses, Team Liquid and FaZe Clan. Both teams were riding high on the back of strong performances, with Team Liquid defeating G2 and FaZe Clan sweeping OG just a few days prior. Looking to prolong their winning ways, Team Liquid opted for Inferno as their map choice, while FaZe Clan chose Mirage, leaving Ancient as the third map.
Source : BLAST
After conceding the pistol round and the subsequent force buy on Inferno, FaZe managed to turn the tables with an unexpected round win, on the back of ropz's cheeky 3k with the five-seven in apartments. With the guns in play from there on, FaZe seemed to be in their element. They displayed remarkable synergy and communication, by playing off of one another. Except for round 6 where a perfect flash from oSee propelled Rainwaker to get two entries in the B site, and round 10 where they negated the mid-aggression from FaZe, Team Liquid couldn’t manage any more rounds in the half.
Up 11-4, FaZe were now on the attack, which was a comfortable place for men led by karrigan. FaZe looked in control from the outset, winning the pistol and then the first buy round. However, Liquid refused to go down without showing teeth. They strung together three rounds before FaZe reached matchpoints, and then 4 more before FaZe ultimately drew the curtains on Inferno with a 16-11 score.
Source : BLAST
On Mirage, we witnessed a wholly transformed Liquid, who came out swinging with a phenomenal 4v5 retake on the B bombsite during the pistol round. The game quickly turned into a lopsided affair, with Liquid presenting an impervious defense that left no room for FaZe to infiltrate the bomb site. Notably, after the pistol round, the 3 rounds that FaZe won were the only rounds they could manage a bomb plant.
Source : BLAST
Despite FaZe's strong 3-0 CT start, with karrigan's remarkable 1v4 clutch and ninja defuse, the tables began to turn as Liquid fought back, securing three rounds of their own to reach map point. Within sight of victory, Liquid started to lose grip of the game, allowing FaZe to tailor a comeback. Even in the last round, FaZe appeared to have the upper hand, with broky securing a two-man advantage by eliminating one enemy in the underpass and another in mid. However, despite the deficit, Liquid played the 3v5 situation flawlessly, coming out on top and breaking FaZe's heart as they closed out Mirage with a victory.
Source : BLAST
The impact of RobbaN's absence was evident throughout the match, as FaZe players, especially karrigan, seemed visibly disoriented after losing rounds. On Ancient especially, FaZe's attack looked disjointed, leaving vulnerabilities for Liquid to exploit. Known for coming on top of chaotic situations, FaZe couldn't replicate their success on the third map. Despite winning the pistol round, they faltered against Team Liquid's force buy and struggled to secure any further rounds in the first half. The game ended shortly after in the second half, with a scoreline of 16-8 following some resistance put up by FaZe. It was a complete decimation from Team Liquid, led by a 1.53 rating from NAF, and 1.30 from Patsi.
FaZeLiquid| FaZe |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Russel 'Twistzz' Van Dulken |
67 - 54 | +13 | 90.5 | 75.3% | 1.25 |
 Helvijs 'broky' Saukants |
60 - 53 | +7 | 72.6 | 67.9% | 1.04 |
 Robin 'ropz' Kool |
52 - 59 | -7 | 67.3 | 67.9% | 0.88 |
 Håvard 'rain' Nygaard |
40 - 55 | -15 | 65.0 | 61.7% | 0.82 |
 Finn 'karrigan' Andersen |
41 - 56 | -15 | 60.2 | 63.0% | 0.81 |
| Liquid |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith 'NAF' Markovic |
63 - 51 | +12 | 88.5 | 74.1% | 1.23 |
 Josh 'oSee' Ohm |
65 - 49 | +16 | 75.4 | 70.4% | 1.13 |
 Robert 'Patsi' Isyanov |
59 - 61 | -2 | 77.9 | 69.1% | 1.06 |
 Aleks 'Rainwaker' Petrov |
50 - 49 | +1 | 65.3 | 70.4% | 1.01 |
| Mareks 'YEKINDAR' Gaļinskis |
38 - 50 | -12 | 59.5 | 69.1% | 0.96 |
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