G2-0 FaZe

The rivalry between G2 and FaZe has always been worthwhile. Nevertheless, this time in Cologne, it was anything but close, as G2 dominated their adversary, securing a swift and decisive two-zero victory in the series.

The pistol round on Inferno commenced in a state of utter chaos, with FaZe opting for a bold and aggressive push in alt-mid. Nevertheless, G2 prepared for early shenanigans, managed to shut down their aggression, and surged ahead with two consecutive rounds. G2's lead was short-lived, as FaZe disrupted their momentum with deagles, and then quashed G2's advances down Banana in the ensuing round to level the score. Unforeseen, it was HooXi's genius that reverberated on Inferno, as his impactful entries reversed the tide and took G2 to an assertive 11-4 lead.

FaZe's prospects for mounting a comeback seemed increasingly dim as they faltered in the crucial pistol round and saw G2 extend the score to 13-4. In a last-ditch effort with their rifles, they were ensnared in the crossfires set by G2. The game ended 16-4 in favor of G2, with HooXi, huNter- and NiKo all scoring a 1.6+ rating on the map, while no player on FaZe managed to achieve double digits in the fragging department.

G2 got a strong start on their CT campaign of Ancient as well. But this time around, FaZe didn't delay in asserting themselves, helped out by Twistzz's double kills in the 2v2. A swift rush out B granted FaZe another round, but with only one player surviving, their economic prospects remained bleak. With the individuals of G2 in unstable form, G2 dominated throughout the half. They ended the half with 10 confident rounds.

Twistzz, who opened the account of FaZe in the first half, once again got three detrimental kills, allowing FaZe to bounce back after losing the pistol. They clung onto the slight momentum generated by the Magician and closed the gap to 11-8. What followed were some incredible calls from HooXi, as G2 capitalized on two back-to-back A rushes. huNter's 1v2 inched G2 closer to victory, but it was m0NESY to bring the hammer down, as G2 sealed the map 16-12.

IEM Cologne 2023

Bo3

2 - 0

FaZe

All maps

G2	K - D	+/-	ADR	KAST	Rating 2.0
Nemanja 'huNter-' Kovač	47 - 24	+23	104.4	87.5%	1.71
Ilya 'm0NESY' Osipov	46 - 21	+25	91.1	77.1%	1.63
Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač	36 - 24	+12	81.0	83.3%	1.36
Justin 'jks' Savage	25 - 26	-1	65.0	72.9%	1.06
Rasmus 'HooXi' Nielsen	30 - 28	+2	61.8	68.8%	1.06

FaZe	K - D	+/-	ADR	KAST	Rating 2.0
Helvijs 'broky' Saukants	28 - 35	-7	66.5	60.4%	0.78
Håvard 'rain' Nygaard	24 - 38	-14	66.9	54.2%	0.71
Robin 'ropz' Kool	25 - 36	-11	57.8	60.4%	0.70
Russel 'Twistzz' Van Dulken	27 - 38	-11	51.9	56.2%	0.70
Finn 'karrigan' Andersen	19 - 39	-20	52.1	56.2%	0.60