After almost four straight years on the international stage, the FaZe Clan organization hit rock bottom in Stage 2 when it missed out on an international tournament for the first time since the ESL Pro League Season 4 Finals in April 2017.
For a team of FaZe’s caliber, such a result transcends the word failure. The team has seen its archenemies Ninjas in Pyjamas and Team Liquid achieve international success, while the youth-heavy FURIA and Team oNe have closed the gap in experience to such a point where they are now seen as the dominant powers.
Such a disappointing performance needed a quick and convincing answer from FaZe Clan. And in Stage 3, the 2020 BR6 champions delivered.
Following a 6-8 loss to relegation contender Santos e-Sports, FaZe won the next six games -- two of them being 8-7 victories against Team Liquid and Team oNe.
That alone was impressive, as FaZe Clan equalled Black Dragons’ 2018 record for the most consecutive wins. And come this weekend, FaZe looks good value to beat it.
“Once you win six games, people get worried. The teams are looking for our [weak] points,” said FaZe Clan’s new analyst Cesar “Dark” Adriano in an interview with SiegeGG.
Such a great run has helped FaZe shake off the spectre of Stage 2, as the team is now at the top of the BR6 standings with 55 points. Moreover, with 17 points, it is also the highest scoring team of the stage.
“It is a combination of every factor in play, the team’s performances, Ramalho’s work and my help, we can notice the improvement,” said Dark.
Overall, the team dominates the BR6 Stage 3 stats, with only the Brazilian superstars of Luccas “Paluh” Molina (Team Liquid), Karl “Alem4o” Zarth (Team oNe), and the wunderkind Diogo “Fntzy” Molina (FURIA Esports) able to eclipse FaZe’s numbers.
FaZe as a whole also has the highest number of defuser plants (16) in the region, a tally that no other team surpasses even if including the NAL, EUL, or APAC Leagues.
If that is not enough to prove that FaZe is back, it is also currently the only side alongside BDS Esport to have a full roster with positive SiegeGG ratings, as the team’s lowest rated player is Leonardo “Astro” Luis with a 1.05.
“The players have plenty of experience and that helps a lot in the game, they know what they have to do, they know how to play various differences and various play styles,” explained Dark.
Failing to qualify for Mexico is probably the organization’s biggest failure, as FaZe Clan has been viewed to be the most consistent side in the region throughout the years, despite not being able to win a title outside Brazil.
“There is no extra pressure... we always feel it (pressure) but there are more tournaments, the team’s experience also helps at dealing with it,” added Dark.
Now, the team is in a position where a top four finish at the Copa Elite Six is a must to qualify for Sweden in order to still be in the race for a SI 2022 spot. Dark said that the team is united together and calm despite the risk of failure, as the players know that they still have chances of achieving their goals.
The Copa Elite Six Stage 3 group stage draw will be held after the conclusion of the last BR6 match on the 10th of October between Team Liquid and Santos e-Sports, which will start at 5pm BRT (+7 UTC).