Heroic emerged victorious in a thrilling Quarter-Final over the FaZe Clan CS:GO roster, ending their hopes of winning the final CS:GO Major. A tough draw for both sides, only one could triumph to face either Monte or GamerLegion in the Semi-Finals.

It wasn’t an easy tournament for FaZe. Only qualifying for the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 via the Last Chance Qualifier, FaZe struggled throughout the Challengers and Legends Stages. Sheer determination that saw them through, but it wasn’t enough. It leads to one big question – what’s next for this FaZe Clan CS:GO roster?

Pain for FaZe. Credit: BLASTtv on Twitter

Heroic v FaZe Clan CS:GO Match Recap

The series began with great promise. Heroic took a commanding lead, reaching 14 to FaZe’s 5. But this FaZe Clan CS:GO roster are made of sterner stuff, and they mounted a comeback as they have so many times this tournament. Unfortunately for FaZe, the lead was just too much to pull back, finishing 16-14 to Heroic on the first map of Nuke.

With the second map, FaZe played their reverse card on Heroic. It was a competitive map on Overpass, but the individual brilliance of ropz and broky meant that FaZe never looked in real trouble. 16:12 to FaZe was the score, and we were going all the way.

Mirage was the end of FaZe’s BLAST.tv Paris Major. The first half was a Heroic clinic, going into half-time with a 12-3 lead. Even for the mentality monsters of FaZe Clan, this was always going to be insurmountable. Across the series, it was just a gulf in class between the two teams. For Heroic, no player had a negative K/D ratio across the series. For FaZe, everyone barring ropz went negative. You have to feel for the young Estonian, who gave everything to keep FaZe in contention.

What Next For This FaZe Clan CS:GO Roster?

On the back of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, there will be some uncomfortable conversations about the future of the FaZe Clan CS:GO roster. This was a carefully-curated team of superstars which reached its apex in early 2022. But they’ve been underperforming for a while now, and edging out the Intel Grand Slam win papered over those cracks.

FaZe is not associated with failure. According to our BLAST.tv Paris Major power rankings, Heroic was a tough draw, sure, but excuses don’t cut it at the top. With CS2 just around the corner, FaZe must make sure it’s prepped for success going into the new game. That could mean making some very difficult decisions about its team of stars.

Roster Changes?

The FaZe Clan CS:GO organization could make roster changes, but who do you cut? That’s the issue with building around big names. Right now, FaZe’s problems stem from the inability to have more than 1 or 2 performing together. That might work in best-of-one shootouts, but it won’t win you tournaments. Twistzz, broky, ropz, and rain are all capable of winning games on their own, but each of them are equally guilty of dropping nightmare performances at the worst time.

FaZe’s stars have struggled. Credit: BLASTtv on Twitter

Post-Heroic defeat, karrigan reaffirmed his desire to continue with the FaZe Clan CS:GO team into CS2. But if the organization makes changes, it could start with its talismanic IGL. There’s no doubt that karrigan is a legend of the game, but at 33 his time on the server isn’t infinite. He’s no longer a top-fragger, and to some degree, it’s holding FaZe back. They could look to build for the future, and our choice would be GamerLegion’s siuhy. It would be a big step up for the 20-year-old Polish IGL, but if he’s truly the real deal, FaZe would be the perfect leap to the top.

If karrigan is kept after the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, they could swap out a rifler. Likely safe are ropz and broky, although there will be questions over rain and Twistzz.

Will Twistzz continue on with FaZe?

Twistzz is the most difficult case. He has some of the best mechanics ever seen in CS:GO but his form is beyond concerning. He’s admitted to suffering from exhaustion, and that could be a huge factor. If FaZe let him go elsewhere and he regains his form, they look extremely silly. An extended break could be perfect for Twistzz, with a stand-in filling the gaps during CS2’s early days.

The cloud over rain is more concerning. His form is not as poor as Twistzz, but at 29 years old, age is a concern here too. It wouldn’t be easy – rain has been a FaZe Clan CS:GO stalwart since 2016, but it could make sense. Someone like NertZ would represent an interesting option, if they can tempt him away from ENCE.

We’ll be watching a lot of FaZe Clan post-Major. They’ve got a lot to think about before CS2, and it’ll be interesting to see the route they take.