FaZe survive v. Passion UA, advance to StarLadder Budapest Major playoffs
It was FaZe v. Passion UA in a do-or-die match at the StarLadder Major Budapest.
Passion UA began the thrid stage in Budapest with two losses in a row, putting them on the brink of elimination. Back-to-back wins put Passion on the precipice of playoffs. FaZe startd this stage with a win over Vitality, but then lost their following two matches to go to 1-2. FaZe stabilized with a win v. 3DMAX to move to the 2-2 match.
Passion UA chose to begin the series on Overpass, with FaZe starting on the favored CT side. Passion started with a 3-0 lead, but FaZe had a steady defensive side to close the half with a 7-5 lead. Passion took a 10-7 lead early in the second half, thanks in no small part to back-to-back ninja defuses in rounds 16 and 17. FaZe somehow didn't tilt after that, and bounced back to steal Passion's map 13-11.
FaZe's pick was Mirage, where they jumped out to a 6-1 lead on the T side. Passion closed strong, making the deficit just 7-5 at halftime. A back-and-forth second half saw Passion take an 11-10 lead late in the game. FaZe needed all 24 regulation rounds again, and closed out the map 13-11 to sweep the series 2-0.
Jakub "jcobbb" Pietruszewski was the standout man for FaZe as the team's rookie was the only player on the server to eclipse 40 frags.
FaZePassion UA| FaZe |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jakub 'jcobbb' Pietruszewski |
41 - 32 | +9 | 87.7 | 83.3% | 1.31 |
 David 'frozen' Čerňanský |
39 - 35 | +4 | 90.4 | 77.1% | 1.20 |
 Helvijs 'broky' Saukants |
37 - 25 | +12 | 74.5 | 70.8% | 1.20 |
 Russel 'Twistzz' Van Dulken |
27 - 34 | -7 | 76.3 | 77.1% | 1.02 |
 Finn 'karrigan' Andersen |
25 - 30 | -5 | 52.3 | 68.8% | 0.84 |
| Passion UA |
K - D | +/- | ADR | KAST | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vladyslav 'Kvem' Korol |
38 - 30 | +8 | 86.3 | 79.2% | 1.22 |
 Håkon 'hallzerk' Fjærli |
32 - 32 | +0 | 72.6 | 66.7% | 1.12 |
 Johnny 'JT' Theodosiou |
33 - 37 | -4 | 77.8 | 66.7% | 0.94 |
 Michael 'Grim' Wince |
26 - 33 | -7 | 63.9 | 66.7% | 0.80 |
| Nick 'nicx' Lee |
25 - 38 | -13 | 50.5 | 68.8% | 0.77 |
FaZe have now earned the right to compete in the StarLadder Budapest Major quarterfinals.
