Twistzz Reacts to FaZe’s FISSURE Playground 3 Exit After Upsets

FaZe’s FISSURE Playground 3 campaign ended almost as quickly as it began, and Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken did not attempt to soften the assessment.

After FaZe were eliminated by magic on September 9, Twistzz acknowledged that his team had fallen well short of expectations against opponents positioned below them in the rankings. The defeat completed a difficult two-match run in which FaZe lost to Alliance and magic and exited the tournament in joint-last place.

The result is particularly notable because FaZe entered FISSURE Playground 3 after rebuilding momentum and climbing back toward the upper end of the competitive CS2 hierarchy.

 

Quick Summary

Detail	Information
Team	FaZe
Player	Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken
Tournament	FISSURE Playground 3
Elimination date	September 9, 2026
Opening opponent	Alliance
Opening result	FaZe 0–2 Alliance
Elimination opponent	magic
Elimination result	FaZe 1–2 magic
Final placement	Joint-last
Key takeaway	Twistzz said FaZe significantly underperformed against lower-ranked opposition
FaZe’s next event	TBD

 

What Happened to Twistzz and FaZe at FISSURE Playground 3?

Twistzz continued to produce individually even as FaZe struggled to convert close maps into victories.

 

FaZe arrived at FISSURE Playground 3 with expectations considerably higher than their eventual finish.

Their tournament opened on September 8 against Alliance in the Group B upper-bracket quarter-final. Alliance entered the match significantly below FaZe in HLTV’s displayed world ranking — FaZe were shown at No. 11 and Alliance at No. 50 — but the Swedish side produced the upset.

Alliance won Ancient 13–9 before closing Nuke 13–11 for a 2–0 series victory.

Twistzz was one of the bright spots for FaZe in the defeat. HLTV recorded him with 38 kills against 30 deaths across the two maps and a 1.22 Rating 3.0. His individual performance, however, was not enough to prevent FaZe from dropping into the lower bracket.

There was no room for another defeat.

On September 9, FaZe faced magic in the Group B lower-bracket first round. This time the series went all three maps — and became considerably more painful.

magic won Ancient 16–14 after overtime. FaZe responded on Dust2 with a 13–10 victory to force Cache.

The deciding map also went beyond regulation, where magic eventually prevailed 19–16.

That gave magic a 2–1 victory and eliminated FaZe from FISSURE Playground 3.

 

Twistzz Criticizes FaZe’s Performance

Following the elimination, Twistzz addressed the result publicly on X.

According to Cybersport.ru’s report of his post, the FaZe player said the team had “seriously underperformed” in matches against teams below FaZe in the rankings and needed to regroup ahead of its next tournament.

The message was short, but the implication was clear: FaZe’s early elimination was not being framed internally as an acceptable result against elite opposition.

It came after consecutive upset defeats.

The first was a straight-map loss to Alliance. The second was a three-map elimination loss to magic despite FaZe having opportunities to take control of both Ancient and Cache.

 

FaZe’s FISSURE Playground 3 Timeline

Date	Stage	Opponent	Result	Maps	Consequence
September 8, 2026	Group B upper-bracket quarter-final	Alliance	0–2 loss	Ancient 9–13, Nuke 11–13	FaZe dropped to lower bracket
September 9, 2026	Group B lower-bracket round 1	magic	1–2 loss	Ancient 14–16, Dust2 13–10, Cache 16–19	FaZe eliminated
September 9, 2026	Post-match	—	—	—	Twistzz publicly reacts to the exit
TBD	Next tournament	TBD	TBD	TBD	FaZe look to respond

 

FaZe Roster at FISSURE Playground 3

FaZe's revamped CS2 roster entered FISSURE Playground 3 after showing encouraging results during the early stages of the project.

 

Liquipedia listed the following FaZe lineup for FISSURE Playground 3:

Player	Status
Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken	Active lineup
David “frozen” Čerňanský	Active lineup
Jakub “jcobbb” Pietruszewski	Active lineup
Jason “JBOEN” Boe Nielsen	Active lineup
Drin “Neityu” Shaqiri	Active lineup
enkay J	Coach

Liquipedia also notes that FaZe acquired Neityu from ENCE on August 11, 2026.

This matters when evaluating the result: the current FaZe project is still relatively young, but FISSURE Playground 3 nevertheless represented a major setback after encouraging results earlier in the lineup’s development.

 

Background: FaZe Had Been Trending Upward

The tournament exit looks worse when placed against FaZe’s trajectory before FISSURE Playground 3.

According to HLTV, this version of FaZe had climbed from outside the top 20 in the Valve Regional Standings to No. 10 before the tournament in China.

HLTV also noted that before the Alliance and magic defeats, the lineup featuring JBOEN had only lost series to PARIVISION at XSE Pro League, Spirit at BLAST Bounty, and Vitality at the Esports World Cup.

Those are very different circumstances from losing consecutive matches to Alliance and magic.

That contrast helps explain Twistzz’s frustration.

FISSURE Playground 3 was not simply an early exit. It interrupted a period in which the revamped roster appeared to be moving in the right direction.

 

Why FaZe’s FISSURE Playground 3 Exit Matters

Two upsets instead of one bad series

An isolated upset can happen to virtually any top CS2 team.

FaZe suffered two in succession.

Losing 0–2 to Alliance could have been treated as a poor opening performance. Losing the following elimination series to magic made the problem harder to dismiss as a single off-day.

The margins were extremely small

FaZe were not comprehensively outclassed by magic.

Two of the three maps required overtime.

Ancient finished 16–14 and Cache 19–16. FaZe won Dust2 13–10.

That makes the defeat especially important from an analytical perspective. The immediate question is not simply whether FaZe lacked firepower, but why they were unable to convert enough high-leverage rounds to close the series.

Without team communications or detailed internal analysis, the precise tactical causes cannot be confirmed.

Momentum has been interrupted

HLTV described FaZe as having climbed back to No. 10 in the VRS ahead of the tournament.

FISSURE Playground 3 therefore represented an opportunity to continue building competitive momentum.

Instead, FaZe leave without a series victory.

 

Tactical Impact

Close rounds became a defining theme of FaZe's short FISSURE Playground 3 run, with the team unable to finish several competitive maps.

 

The available results point toward a problem with conversion rather than a tournament in which FaZe were consistently blown out.

Against Alliance, both maps remained competitive: 9–13 on Ancient and 11–13 on Nuke.

Against magic, two maps went to overtime.

Across the tournament, FaZe therefore played five maps and lost four, but several of those losses were decided within narrow margins.

That distinction matters.

Repeated close losses can indicate problems in late-round execution, economy management, closing advantages, defensive adaptation or pressure situations. However, assigning any one of those explanations specifically to FaZe would require deeper round-by-round evidence.

For now, the confirmed conclusion is narrower: FaZe repeatedly reached competitive positions but failed to convert enough of them into map wins.

 

Tournament Impact

FaZe’s elimination removes one of the event’s more recognizable teams before the playoff stage.

FISSURE Playground 3 features 16 teams and a reported $1 million prize pool, with the grand final scheduled for September 13.

magic, meanwhile, remain alive in the lower bracket after eliminating FaZe.

For FaZe, there is no recovery path at this event. Their FISSURE Playground 3 campaign is over after only two series.

 

Ranking and VRS Impact

FaZe entered the tournament at No. 10 in the Valve Regional Standings according to HLTV’s report published after their elimination.

The exact effect of the Alliance and magic losses on FaZe’s next VRS position is TBD.

Valve’s ranking system incorporates results rather than assigning a simple fixed penalty for a tournament placement, so it would be misleading to predict an exact ranking change before an updated ranking is published.

What can be said safely is that losses to lower-ranked opposition are results FaZe would have preferred to avoid while attempting to consolidate their return toward the top tier.

 

Historical Comparison: A Sudden Reversal

The most useful comparison is not with an older FaZe era but with the immediate trajectory of the current lineup.

Before FISSURE Playground 3, HLTV highlighted only three series defeats for the JBOEN iteration of FaZe: against PARIVISION, Spirit and Vitality.

At FISSURE Playground 3, FaZe added losses to Alliance and magic in consecutive matches.

That creates a clear before-and-after point for evaluating the roster.

The question going forward is whether China was merely a short-lived downturn or the first indication that opponents are beginning to find exploitable weaknesses in the new-look FaZe.

There is not yet enough evidence to conclude the latter.

 

Impact Analysis

Short-term impact: High. A joint-last-place exit is a significant setback for a team that entered the event with renewed momentum.

Roster impact: TBD. There is no verified information indicating that FaZe intend to make lineup changes because of this result.

Tactical impact: Worth monitoring. Four map losses across five played — including multiple close finishes — give FaZe material to review before their next competition.

Ranking impact: TBD. The exact VRS consequences should be assessed only after updated standings are available.

Confidence impact: Potential concern. This is analysis rather than a reported fact, but consecutive losses to lower-ranked teams can increase pressure heading into the next event.

 

What Changes Now for FaZe?

The immediate task is exactly what Twistzz indicated publicly: regroup and prepare for the next tournament.

There is currently no verified evidence that the FISSURE Playground 3 elimination will trigger structural changes within FaZe.

That distinction is important.

A poor tournament does not automatically mean a roster move, role change or tactical overhaul is coming.

For now, FaZe have a five-map sample from China in which they repeatedly played close games but produced only one map victory.

The review process will likely focus on why those competitive maps did not become series wins, although FaZe have not publicly detailed what specific areas they intend to change.

 

What to Watch Next

The next FaZe appearance will provide a much better indication of whether FISSURE Playground 3 was an isolated failure or a more meaningful warning sign.

Three areas deserve particular attention:

Response against lower-ranked opposition. Twistzz specifically highlighted FaZe’s shortcomings against teams below them in the rankings. Their performance in similar matchups will therefore be an obvious benchmark.

Close-map conversion. Ancient and Cache against magic both reached overtime, while Nuke against Alliance ended 11–13. FaZe need to turn more of those narrow games into wins.

Development of the new lineup. With Neityu only officially acquired in August, the roster remains relatively fresh. The next events should provide more evidence about its long-term ceiling.

FaZe’s next confirmed tournament: TBD.

 

FAQ

What did Twistzz say after FaZe were eliminated from FISSURE Playground 3?

According to Cybersport.ru’s report of his X post, Twistzz acknowledged that FaZe had significantly underperformed against teams below them in the rankings. He said the team needed to regroup and prepare properly for its next tournament.

Who eliminated FaZe from FISSURE Playground 3?

magic eliminated FaZe with a 2–1 victory in the Group B lower bracket on September 9, 2026. magic won Ancient 16–14 and Cache 19–16, while FaZe won Dust2 13–10.

Who did FaZe lose to at FISSURE Playground 3?

FaZe lost both of their series. Alliance defeated them 2–0 in their opening match before magic won the elimination series 2–1.

Where did FaZe finish at FISSURE Playground 3?

FaZe were eliminated in joint-last place after losing their first two series.

When is FaZe’s next CS2 tournament?

FaZe’s next confirmed tournament after FISSURE Playground 3 is TBD based on the sources verified for this article.