magic eliminate FaZe in overtime thriller as FaZe finish last at FISSURE Playground 3

FaZe's FISSURE Playground 3 campaign ended after just two series as magic eliminated Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken's side 2-1 in the first round of the Group B lower bracket.

The elimination series went the distance in Suzhou. magic edged Ancient 16-14 in overtime, FaZe answered with a 13-10 victory on Dust2, and Cache required another extended finish before magic finally closed the decider 19-16.

The result sends FaZe out in joint-last place after they also lost 0-2 to Alliance in their opening match. For a lineup that had rebuilt momentum over the previous two months and climbed back toward the upper end of the rankings, leaving China without a series win represents a sharp interruption to that progress.

Quick Summary

Detail	Information
Tournament	FISSURE Playground 3
Match	magic vs FaZe
Result	magic 2-1 FaZe
Maps	Ancient 16-14, Dust2 10-13, Cache 19-16
Stage	Group B lower bracket round 1
Format	Best-of-three, LAN
Standout player	Twistzz — 72-55, 1.26 Rating 3.0
Main storyline	magic survived two overtime maps to eliminate FaZe in joint-last place

 

Two overtimes decide FaZe's fate

There was very little separating the teams across the series. FaZe actually finished with more opening kills overall, 45 to magic's 43, while Twistzz produced the highest individual rating on the server. magic, however, won eight clutches to FaZe's five and proved better at converting the decisive late-map situations.

That distinction mattered most on Ancient and Cache.

FaZe reached overtime on both maps but failed to close either. Across those two maps alone, the teams played 65 rounds, and magic repeatedly found the answers once regulation ended.

Ancient — magic win 16-14

magic opened the series on their Ancient pick, but regulation was almost perfectly balanced. The first half ended 6-6, and another 6-6 split after the side switch sent the map to overtime at 12-12.

FaZe briefly appeared to have broken through when they took a 14-12 lead in overtime. magic responded by winning four consecutive rounds to steal the map 16-14.

Abdurakhim "mo0N" Issa supplied the raw firepower with 25 kills and 21 AWP kills, while Svyatoslav "MaSvAl" Masko posted the highest Rating 3.0 on the map at 1.55.

FaZe had enough opening-round success to remain competitive, but Ryan "Neityu" Aubry struggled heavily on Ancient, finishing 13-24 with a 0.62 rating. David "frozen" Čerňanský was FaZe's highest-rated player on the map at 1.28.

Dust2 — FaZe respond 13-10

FaZe stabilized on their own Dust2 pick.

An 8-4 first half gave Twistzz's team enough room to absorb magic's attempted comeback after the break before finishing the map 13-10 and forcing Cache.

frozen drove the response with 24 kills, 114 ADR and a 1.50 Rating 3.0, the best individual performance on Dust2. FaZe also won the opening-kill battle 14-9, giving their rounds a much cleaner foundation than on Ancient.

Dust2 was the one map where FaZe consistently converted their early-round advantages into a result.

Cache — magic win 19-16

Cache produced the defining stretch of the series.

magic stormed to a 6-0 start before FaZe recovered enough ground to trail only 7-5 at halftime. Twistzz and company then fought back on the second half to force another 12-12 scoreline and another overtime.

The first overtime still could not separate the teams, with the score reaching 15-15.

In the next overtime sequence, magic finally created daylight. They took four of the final five rounds to close Cache 19-16 and end FaZe's tournament.

The loss was particularly painful given Twistzz's individual output. The Canadian recorded 35 kills, 102.7 ADR and a 1.58 rating on Cache — the highest rating of anyone on the map. Despite that performance, magic generated 20 opening kills to FaZe's 15 and won four clutches compared to FaZe's two.

It was the clearest example of the difference between the teams: FaZe had the strongest individual performer, but magic won more of the rounds that decided the series.

Twistzz delivers, but FaZe lack enough support

Twistzz finished the three maps with 72 kills against 55 deaths, 81.1 ADR, a 73.9% KAST and a 1.26 Rating 3.0. He was comfortably FaZe's strongest performer and received the majority of HLTV's player-of-the-match votes despite being on the losing side.

Jakub "jcobbb" Pietruszewski was the other FaZe player to finish clearly above a 1.00 rating, posting 59-59 with a 1.13. frozen ended at exactly 1.00, while JBOEN recorded a 0.94 and Neityu struggled to a 0.82.

magic's production was more evenly distributed at the top of the scoreboard. MaSvAl led the team with a 1.24 rating, followed by mo0N at 1.19 and Nikita "tenzy" Kochenyuk at 1.16.

That balance proved important across a 91-round series. magic did not need one player to match Twistzz's numbers; they instead found enough impact from multiple positions to survive both overtime finishes.

Why the loss matters for FaZe

FaZe arrived at FISSURE Playground 3 after a noticeable recovery under their latest lineup.

JBOEN joined on loan from BIG Academy in June after Helvijs "broky" Saukants was benched, while Neityu's move was made permanent in August. Twistzz has also continued in the in-game leader role following Finn "karrigan" Andersen's departure earlier in the year.

The current five of frozen, Twistzz, Neityu, jcobbb and JBOEN had produced a much stronger run than FaZe's earlier 2026 iterations. Before the two losses in Suzhou, their series defeats with JBOEN had come against PARIVISION, Spirit and Vitality, while they had recorded wins over teams including The MongolZ, Legacy and BETBOOM.

That made FISSURE Playground 3 a valuable opportunity to consolidate their position.

Instead, FaZe lost 0-2 to Alliance — ranked well below them — before being eliminated by magic the following day. HLTV listed FaZe at No. 11 and magic at No. 18 at the time of their meeting.

The early exit also matters beyond this tournament. FaZe are still trying to secure a return to the Major after missing IEM Cologne 2026, and their Valve Ranking position will remain important ahead of the PGL Singapore Major invitation cutoff. HLTV noted that Stake Ranked Episode 4 was their only scheduled event before the November deadline at the time of their elimination.

Head-to-head: magic do it again

The result was not magic's first series victory over FaZe in 2026.

The teams previously met at Stake Ranked Episode 2 on May 28, when magic also won 2-1. FaZe took Mirage 13-4 before magic responded with 13-11 on Dust2 and 13-10 on Overpass.

That earlier result should not be treated as a perfect comparison, however. FaZe were still playing with broky at the time, whereas JBOEN joined the lineup in June.

Even with the roster change, magic have now defeated FaZe in both of their recent series.

Key players

Twistzz — FaZe

Twistzz did virtually everything FaZe could have asked of their captain statistically. His 72 kills were the most in the series, and his 1.58 rating on the deciding Cache was the best individual map performance despite the loss.

MaSvAl — magic

MaSvAl finished as magic's highest-rated player across the series with a 1.24 rating. His strongest contribution came on Ancient, where he produced a 1.55 rating as magic overturned FaZe's 14-12 overtime advantage.

mo0N — magic

mo0N's AWP was particularly influential on Ancient. He led the map with 25 kills and recorded 21 AWP kills, while finishing the entire series 64-51 with a 1.19 rating.

frozen — FaZe

frozen produced FaZe's best performance on Dust2 with 24 kills, 114 ADR and a 1.50 rating. His impact helped FaZe recover from the Ancient loss and force the deciding map, although he finished the complete series at a 1.00 rating.

Interesting facts and context

• FaZe leave FISSURE Playground 3 without winning a series after losses to Alliance and magic.
• Both maps won by magic required overtime: Ancient finished 16-14 and Cache 19-16.
• Cache reached a second overtime after the teams were still tied at 15-15.
• Twistzz led the entire server with 72 kills despite FaZe losing the series.
• magic also defeated FaZe 2-1 in their previous meeting at Stake Ranked Episode 2 in May.
• FaZe had lost 0-2 to Alliance one day earlier, with Ancient appearing in both defeats.

What comes next?

FaZe are eliminated from FISSURE Playground 3 in joint-last place, ending their Suzhou campaign after only two matches.

magic stay alive in Group B and advance to the lower-bracket semi-final on September 10. Their next opponent will be the loser of the upper-bracket match between PARIVISION and FURIA. Another defeat there would eliminate magic, while a victory would move them one step away from the playoffs.

For FaZe, the immediate concern is less about one bad event than how quickly the team can prevent it from becoming a trend. Their revamped lineup had generated encouraging results since JBOEN's arrival, but losses to Alliance and magic exposed how narrow the margins remain when Twistzz's individual output is not matched across the roster.

FAQ

Who won magic vs FaZe at FISSURE Playground 3?

magic defeated FaZe 2-1 in the Group B lower bracket.

What were the map scores?

magic won Ancient 16-14, FaZe won Dust2 13-10, and magic took Cache 19-16. Ancient and Cache both required overtime.

Who was the best player in the series?

Twistzz had the highest Rating 3.0 among FaZe's players and led the server with 72 kills, finishing the series with a 1.26 rating.

Is FaZe eliminated from FISSURE Playground 3?

Yes. FaZe finished the event in joint-last place after losing to Alliance and magic.

Who do magic play next?

magic will face the loser of PARIVISION vs FURIA in the Group B lower-bracket semi-final on September 10.