FaZe’s shaky Budapest debut puts new lineup under early pressurev

FaZe’s shaky Budapest debut puts new lineup under early pressure

FaZe Clan’s return to Major play with their rebuilt lineup has started far from the dominant statement many expected. After a narrow 13–10 loss to NRG on Dust2 in round two of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 1, the European mix sit at 1–1 in the Swiss standings and face Ninjas in Pyjamas in a pivotal best-of-one that could drop them into the dangerous 1–2 pool. 

The Major is the first for FaZe’s new core of Finn “karrigan” Andersen, David “frozen” Čerňanský, Helvijs “broky” Saukants, Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken and 21-year-old Polish rifler Jakub “jcobbb” Pietruszewski, who joined the team in August to inject youth into one of the oldest lineups in the top 10. Expectations were high after the organisation brought back Twistzz and doubled down on an aggressive, star-heavy style built around frozen and the Canadian rifler. 

From confident opener to NRG upset

FaZe’s campaign in Budapest began according to the script. In their opening match of Stage 1 they brushed aside Chinese side Lynn Vision on Train, taking a comfortable 13–5 victory to secure a 1–0 start in the Swiss system.  The firepower on display matched pre-tournament predictions that FaZe should cruise through Stage 1 and into the later phases of the Major.

Round two, however, flipped that narrative on its head. Drawn against NRG in the 1–0 pool, FaZe were heavy favourites on Dust2 against a North American side forced to field coach Damian “daps” Steele as a stand-in for in-game leader Nick “nitr0” Cannella. Despite that handicap, NRG kept pace in a back-and-forth first half that ended 6–6. After the side swap, FaZe briefly wrestled control away with early second-half rounds, but the underdogs strung together a decisive run to close out a 13–10 upset.  According to HLTV’s match stats, FaZe finished the map with a lower team rating and lost the key mid-round fights, while Danish rifler Alexander “br0” Bro and AWPer Zack “XotiC” Elshani led the way for NRG. 

In HLTV’s recap of the game, the site described NRG as joining “an unlikely 2–0 pool at the end of Budapest Major day one,” underlining just how surprising FaZe’s defeat was given their status as Stage 1 favourites.  Daps later explained that he had “started playing a lot more actively the last two weeks, just pugging, DMing and practising [his] utility so [he doesn’t] miss things,” highlighting how seriously the veteran coach prepared for his stand-in duties. 

For FaZe, the loss didn’t just dent their record; it reignited questions that have followed the team through a turbulent 2025 season, with early exits at IEM Cologne, BLAST Bounty and the Esports World Cup before the roster was retooled. 

Ninjas regroup after rough start

While FaZe stumbled in round two, Ninjas in Pyjamas were busy rebuilding their own Major campaign. The Swedish-org lineup, now led in the server by Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer and built around rising star Kacper “xKacpersky” Gabara, opened Budapest with a one-sided 13–7 defeat to NRG on Overpass. 

The Ninjas bounced back immediately. Drawn against Lynn Vision in the 0–1 pool, they produced one of the most dominant scorelines of the tournament so far, dismantling the Chinese side 13–2 on Train to level their record at 1–1. 

Speaking to HLTV after that win, xKacpersky emphasised how NIP eliminated the sloppy play that had cost them against NRG. “In the first game, we made a lot of stupid mistakes,” the 19-year-old said. “Here on Train everyone played well, everyone was having fun… we didn’t make these mistakes so everyone could play their game and focus on themselves.” 

The performance not only steadied NIP’s Major run, it also served as a reminder of the team’s ceiling from recent deep runs at StarSeries Fall and IEM Cologne, even if their season has been marked by inconsistency and an 0–3 showing at PGL Masters Bucharest. 

A high-stakes early clash

Those parallel storylines set the stage for a tense FaZe–NIP showdown in the 1–1 pool. With Stage 1 using a 16-team Swiss format where three wins are required to advance and three losses mean elimination, the round-three matchup carries significant weight: the winner moves to 2–1, one best-of-three away from Stage 2, while the loser drops into the 1–2 bracket and faces a long, elimination-threatening road. 

On paper, FaZe came into Budapest as one of the strongest teams in Stage 1, with four Major-winning veterans surrounding their young Polish entry fragging prospect. But analysts have repeatedly pointed to chemistry and role overlap issues—particularly around jcobbb’s integration—since his arrival in August.  In a recent breakdown, caster Anders Blume highlighted both the “promising signs” and “glaring weaknesses” in jcobbb’s early demos, arguing that FaZe’s structure still looks fragile when pressure builds. 

NIP, by contrast, are still shaping their identity under Snappi’s leadership. HLTV’s pre-Major Prospect Report placed xKacpersky near the top of its list of breakout talents, and the Pole himself has repeatedly said that Budapest is a chance for him and his team to “prove it” on the biggest stage. 

Pressure mounting on FaZe’s veterans

Regardless of the exact scoreline in their meeting with NIP, FaZe’s situation in Budapest already feels precarious. The organisation has invested heavily in rebuilding a championship-calibre roster around karrigan, frozen and Twistzz, yet early-season results—and now an upset loss to a coach-boosted NRG—have kept them firmly out of the elite conversation. 

Community sentiment around the team reflects that frustration. HLTV’s forums and event hubs have been flooded with threads dissecting FaZe’s form, with titles framing the team as “staring at elimination in Budapest after loss to NIP” and debating whether karrigan’s in-game leadership and the jcobbb experiment can be salvaged. While forum posts are far from an official source, they capture the mood around a side that, for the second Major in a row, finds itself underperforming relative to the star names on the server.

For the players, the pressure is familiar. Frozen recently described FaZe’s year as “messy” and stressed that the team is “just trying to get back to the top,” echoing a sense that the lineup has yet to settle into a stable pecking order or map pool. 

NIP’s opportunity to flip the script

For Ninjas in Pyjamas, the matchup with FaZe offers an opportunity to turn a shaky start into a statement. After being “beat down” by NRG in their opening game, the 13–2 demolition of Lynn Vision, backed up by xKacpersky’s confident words about cutting out “stupid mistakes,” suggests that the Ninjas are quick learners at this event. 

A victory over FaZe would not only move NIP into the 2–1 bracket but would also reinforce the narrative that Snappi’s project is trending upward despite the bruising Bucharest campaign earlier in the season. With a young core led by an IGL renowned for maximising aggressive riflers, NIP have the chance to turn Budapest into the event where their rebuilt roster finally clicks. 

Early-tournament crisis, or just a stumble?

Whether FaZe’s rocky Budapest debut becomes a full-blown crisis or a mere stumble will be determined by how they navigate the rest of Stage 1. The numbers so far paint a worrying picture: an upset loss to a stand-in-powered NRG, a reliance on individual brilliance to close out Lynn Vision, and a looming high-pressure clash with a resurgent NIP side that has already shown its capacity to bounce back from adversity. 

For a roster stacked with Major champions, the margin for error is thin. A deep run in Budapest would buy time for jcobbb to settle and for karrigan to refine the team’s approach. A fall into the 1–2 bracket—or worse, an early exit—would only intensify calls for yet another overhaul.

One thing is certain: FaZe’s first Major outing with this lineup has not been the steady, routine progression many expected. Instead, Budapest has immediately thrown them into the kind of pressure cooker that defines Counter-Strike’s biggest stages—and all eyes are now on whether the veterans can keep their cool while a hungry Ninjas in Pyjamas squad tries to push them over the edge.

FaZe’s shaky Budapest debut puts new lineup under early pressure

FaZe Clan’s return to Major play with their rebuilt lineup has started far from the dominant statement many expected. After a narrow 13–10 loss to NRG on Dust2 in round two of the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 1, the European mix sit at 1–1 in the Swiss standings and face Ninjas in Pyjamas in a pivotal best-of-one that could drop them into the dangerous 1–2 pool. 

The Major is the first for FaZe’s new core of Finn “karrigan” Andersen, David “frozen” Čerňanský, Helvijs “broky” Saukants, Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken and 21-year-old Polish rifler Jakub “jcobbb” Pietruszewski, who joined the team in August to inject youth into one of the oldest lineups in the top 10. Expectations were high after the organisation brought back Twistzz and doubled down on an aggressive, star-heavy style built around frozen and the Canadian rifler. 

From confident opener to NRG upset

FaZe’s campaign in Budapest began according to the script. In their opening match of Stage 1 they brushed aside Chinese side Lynn Vision on Train, taking a comfortable 13–5 victory to secure a 1–0 start in the Swiss system. The firepower on display matched pre-tournament predictions that FaZe should cruise through Stage 1 and into the later phases of the Major.

Round two, however, flipped that narrative on its head. Drawn against NRG in the 1–0 pool, FaZe were heavy favourites on Dust2 against a North American side forced to field coach Damian “daps” Steele as a stand-in for in-game leader Nick “nitr0” Cannella. 

Despite that handicap, NRG kept pace in a back-and-forth first half that ended 6–6. After the side swap, FaZe briefly wrestled control away with early second-half rounds, but the underdogs strung together a decisive run to close out a 13–10 upset. According to HLTV’s match stats, FaZe finished the map with a lower team rating and lost the key mid-round fights, while Danish rifler Alexander “br0” Bro and AWPer Zack “XotiC” Elshani led the way for NRG. 

In HLTV’s recap of the game, the site described NRG as joining “an unlikely 2–0 pool at the end of Budapest Major day one,” underlining just how surprising FaZe’s defeat was given their status as Stage 1 favourites. Daps later explained that he had “started playing a lot more actively the last two weeks, just pugging, DMing and practising [his] utility so [he doesn’t] miss things,” highlighting how seriously the veteran coach prepared for his stand-in duties. 

For FaZe, the loss didn’t just dent their record; it reignited questions that have followed the team through a turbulent 2025 season, with early exits at IEM Cologne, BLAST Bounty and the Esports World Cup before the roster was retooled. 

Ninjas regroup after rough start

While FaZe stumbled in round two, Ninjas in Pyjamas were busy rebuilding their own Major campaign. The Swedish-org lineup, now led in the server by Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer and built around rising star Kacper “xKacpersky” Gabara, opened Budapest with a one-sided 13–7 defeat to NRG on Overpass. 

The Ninjas bounced back immediately. Drawn against Lynn Vision in the 0–1 pool, they produced one of the most dominant scorelines of the tournament so far, dismantling the Chinese side 13–2 on Train to level their record at 1–1. 

Speaking to HLTV after that win, xKacpersky emphasised how NIP eliminated the sloppy play that had cost them against NRG. “In the first game, we made a lot of stupid mistakes,” the 19-year-old said. “Here on Train everyone played well, everyone was having fun… we didn’t make these mistakes so everyone could play their game and focus on themselves.” 

The performance not only steadied NIP’s Major run, it also served as a reminder of the team’s ceiling from recent deep runs at StarSeries Fall and IEM Cologne, even if their season has been marked by inconsistency and an 0–3 showing at PGL Masters Bucharest. 

A high-stakes early clash

Those parallel storylines set the stage for a tense FaZe–NIP showdown in the 1–1 pool. With Stage 1 using a 16-team Swiss format where three wins are required to advance and three losses mean elimination, the round-three matchup carries significant weight: the winner moves to 2–1, one best-of-three away from Stage 2, while the loser drops into the 1–2 bracket and faces a long, elimination-threatening road. 

On paper, FaZe came into Budapest as one of the strongest teams in Stage 1, with four Major-winning veterans surrounding their young Polish entry fragging prospect. But analysts have repeatedly pointed to chemistry and role overlap issues—particularly around jcobbb’s integration—since his arrival in August.  In a recent breakdown, caster Anders Blume highlighted both the “promising signs” and “glaring weaknesses” in jcobbb’s early demos, arguing that FaZe’s structure still looks fragile when pressure builds. 

NIP, by contrast, are still shaping their identity under Snappi’s leadership. HLTV’s pre-Major Prospect Report placed xKacpersky near the top of its list of breakout talents, and the Pole himself has repeatedly said that Budapest is a chance for him and his team to “prove it” on the biggest stage. 

Pressure mounting on FaZe’s veterans

Regardless of the exact scoreline in their meeting with NIP, FaZe’s situation in Budapest already feels precarious. The organisation has invested heavily in rebuilding a championship-calibre roster around karrigan, frozen and Twistzz, yet early-season results—and now an upset loss to a coach-boosted NRG—have kept them firmly out of the elite conversation. 

Community sentiment around the team reflects that frustration. HLTV’s forums and event hubs have been flooded with threads dissecting FaZe’s form, with titles framing the team as “staring at elimination in Budapest after loss to NIP” and debating whether karrigan’s in-game leadership and the jcobbb experiment can be salvaged.  While forum posts are far from an official source, they capture the mood around a side that, for the second Major in a row, finds itself underperforming relative to the star names on the server.

For the players, the pressure is familiar. Frozen recently described FaZe’s year as “messy” and stressed that the team is “just trying to get back to the top,” echoing a sense that the lineup has yet to settle into a stable pecking order or map pool. 

NIP’s opportunity to flip the script

For Ninjas in Pyjamas, the matchup with FaZe offers an opportunity to turn a shaky start into a statement. After being “beat down” by NRG in their opening game, the 13–2 demolition of Lynn Vision, backed up by xKacpersky’s confident words about cutting out “stupid mistakes,” suggests that the Ninjas are quick learners at this event. 

A victory over FaZe would not only move NIP into the 2–1 bracket but would also reinforce the narrative that Snappi’s project is trending upward despite the bruising Bucharest campaign earlier in the season. With a young core led by an IGL renowned for maximising aggressive riflers, NIP have the chance to turn Budapest into the event where their rebuilt roster finally clicks. 

Early-tournament crisis, or just a stumble?

Whether FaZe’s rocky Budapest debut becomes a full-blown crisis or a mere stumble will be determined by how they navigate the rest of Stage 1. The numbers so far paint a worrying picture: an upset loss to a stand-in-powered NRG, a reliance on individual brilliance to close out Lynn Vision, and a looming high-pressure clash with a resurgent NIP side that has already shown its capacity to bounce back from adversity. 

For a roster stacked with Major champions, the margin for error is thin. A deep run in Budapest would buy time for jcobbb to settle and for karrigan to refine the team’s approach. A fall into the 1–2 bracket—or worse, an early exit—would only intensify calls for yet another overhaul.

One thing is certain: FaZe’s first Major outing with this lineup has not been the steady, routine progression many expected. Instead, Budapest has immediately thrown them into the kind of pressure cooker that defines Counter-Strike’s biggest stages—and all eyes are now on whether the veterans can keep their cool while a hungry Ninjas in Pyjamas squad tries to push them over the edge.