Could this year be the year? Will we see Finn "karrigan" Andersen finally lift a Major trophy?
It seems like a real possibility, as his team, FaZe Clan, are red hot going into the Antwerp Major. After winning IEM Katowice, albeit, with a stand-in, they have now made it to the grand final of the ESL Pro League Season 15.
But it wasn't smooth sailing for karrigan and his men, as they could just as well have been eliminated in the group stage of the event.
Here's how FaZe made it to the grand final of ESL Pro League Season 15.
By the skin of their teeth
Image: ESL
FaZe was put in group B, arguably the hardest group of the event. They faced Outsiders, Vitality, Furia, and their opponent today ENCE.
They met each other on the opening day of the event, with ENCE taking the victory. They would go on to dominate the group, as you can read here.
FaZe also lost the second series against Outsiders, pushing them close to elimination.
But karrigan's men rallied, taking down Sprout, Vitality, and Furia to lock in the third and final playoff ticket.
Toughest opposition
Image: ESL
FaZe clan was not gifted a spot in the grand final. They had to earn it.
They started their playoff run against Players, ranked the second-highest team in the world. After taking that hurdle, they faced the highest, NAVI.
The newest signee, Robin "ropz" Kool, stepped up big time during the event, as the Estonian averaged a 1.16 HLTV rating.
But it's remarkable that non of the FaZe players are among the best 10 players at the event. ropz's 1.16 is *only* the 17th highest at the event.
The only player with a negative rating is in-game leader karrigan. The others all stepped up in various moments and maps.
The last team between FaZe and a spot in the grand final was Furia, and while the Brazilians put up a valiant fight, they eventually fell 2-0 to karrigan's machine.
During ESL Pro League Season 15, FaZe Clan is fielding the following roster
- Finn "karrigan" Andersen 👑
- Havard "rain" Nygaard
- Russell "Twistzz" Van Dulken
- Helvijs "broky" Saukants
- Robin "ropz" Kool
- Robert "RobbaN" Dahlstrom (C)
