FaZe overcome coachless Mongolz as Astralis survive thriller

It’s been an outrageous day of CS today, from the very first map.

FaZe picked Nuke into The MongolZ at BLAST Bounty, presumably because they identified a weakness. But the first half was nothing short of a 10-2 massacre of FaZe Clan, and by Twistzz's own admission, it was “sad to play.” It was just as sad to watch, as it wouldn’t be unfair to say FaZe were lucky to have two rounds.

When the second half started, it was better; the pistol went FaZe’s way, only for them to lose to a force, and the conversion, down 12-3.

The final tactical timeout comes in, and FaZe are playing with no margin for error. So obviously they go on to win 13 rounds in a row to win the game, because this is FaZe Clan. JBOEN and jcobbb both took charge on the CT side, with JBOEN being a constant threat to outside trying to find openings, and jcobbb doing a great job on top site.

This was the first failed test for MongolZ’s youngsters, who, without their coach maaRaa, seemed to lose their composure.

In fact, during the break, the Mongolian team didn’t leave the stage; instead, they spent their time keeping their aim warm. Our analytical brains see that and think it’s a bad idea, even if the next map is Mirage, a stronghold for them. But it worked since they dominated map 2, especially on their T-side.

They mostly cut through every setup FaZe threw at them, and when required, their individuals shone brighter.

With that in mind, the decider, Ancient, seemed pretty straightforward: The MongolZ should start stronger, and it will just be a question of converting.

Turns out that was pretty wrong.

FaZe came out swinging, starting on the T-side this time. Their tempo was far too fast for The MongolZ out of the gate; Twistzz, jcobbb, and neityu kept finding openings across the map, overwhelming them early round with supportive util. And when The MongolZ finally caught up and changed their approach, JBOEN would simply find a mid-round pick on a boost or peek and give FaZe the advantage.

In fact, the Danish AWPer was crucial on both sides.

FaZe could easily have fallen victim to a comeback themselves on CT, as they struggled to find their firepower for a while. Only JBOEN managed to keep his pace from the first half up, shooting FaZe into the series win and the semi-finals, where they will be facing Spirit.

On the other side, it was just as dramatic, if not more between paiN and Astralis.

The opening map was relatively straightforward. paiN started on T-side Nuke (their pick) and managed to split 6-6. Then, after losing the early economic battle, they bled a few rounds, recovered, and never looked back, closing 13-10 on a six-round win streak.

But that was it for normal maps.

Map two, Inferno, went the distance, a few extra meters, and then another warmdown run. Both teams were inseparable, with heavily T-dominant halves from them, as two 8-4s took it into overtime. An overtime where, seemingly, everything flipped, because both teams won three straight CT-rounds in OT1. It took Astralis winning two T rounds and converting two retakes to finally close out in OT2.

It didn’t get much more straightforward in map 3.

Mirage, much like Inferno, was dominated by T-sides, two 7-4 T-side halves to be exact, but that does leave out part of the story. This time, Pain had to come back from a 12-7 deficit to get another chance at victory, which they achieved thanks to some heroic biguzera shooting. As OT started, it looked like we’d get more of the same.

But looks can be deceiving, and instead, the Brazilians’ momentum fizzled out. They lost to two retakes in OT again, giving Astralis an advantage going into their T-side, an advantage they promptly converted without needing another extension.

This sent Astralis to a semi-final against MOUZ, who they picked over Spirit.