Underestimated at every stage, FaZe Clan has pulled off a shocking upset to beat MOUZ and reach the semi-finals of the StarLadder Budapest Major. Starting their journey in Stage 1, where they lost to lesser-known teams, FaZe has prepared and evolved with every passing match, and today’s performance announces them as a force to be reckoned with.
VETO
- FaZe removed Train
- MOUZ removed Dust2
- FaZe picked Nuke
- MOUZ picked Inferno
- MOUZ removed Ancient
- FaZe removed Overpass
- Mirage was left over
Map 1: Nuke; Pick: FaZe; Winner: FaZe
Starting with a 4-0 win, FaZe put MOUZ on the back foot right from the get-go. MOUZ’s defense not only got toyed with by FaZe, but they also failed to manage anything more than 3 rounds as FaZe came out with a 9-3 lead. MOUZ got off to a better start in the second half and gave away the lead that once looked insurmountable by winning 7 rounds in a row. Having trailed 3-9 at one point, MOUZ turned it around to take the lead with an 11-9 scoreline. From the edge of defeat, FaZe put a stop to the MOUZ comeback and took back control of the game. Winning the final 4 rounds, FaZe opened the series by bringing home their map pick in the most incredible way possible. With 23 kills and a 1.54 IR saw Broky shine as the star performer for FaZe on their map pick, all while providing instrumental opening kills for them on CT and T side alike.
Map 2: Inferno; Pick: MOUZ; Winner: FaZe
Having overcome a tough map, FaZe took things to a higher gear against MOUZ on their own map pick. A defensive masterclass put up by FaZe stopped the MOUZ offense in all but 2 rounds, leading to a 10-2 dominant half before switching sides. FaZe entered the defense with one foot in the semi-finals as a perfectly played pistol round closed the doors for a MOUZ comeback. Winning 3 rounds back to back on their offense, FaZe Clan breezed past MOUZ to win the map with a 13-2 scoreline. FrozeN topping the charts and Broky and Twistzz chiming in at every occasion saw a team that brought out their tactics and individual brilliance to send MOUZ packing.
MOUZ, coming into the event as one of the strongest teams, fell on the receiving end of the biggest upsets of the Major, as hardly anyone counted on FaZe to go through to the semis. With readily apparent performance issues on the stage, it’s back to the drawing board for MOUZ as FaZe prepare for the semi-finals.