FaZe advance to playoffs, s1mple leads in focused mode

FaZe Clan locked in their playoff spot at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 with a clean 2-0 win over The MongolZ in Swiss Round 4. The European mix now holds a 3-1 record, while The MongolZ drop to 2-2 and will play again in Round 5 for a final chance to qualify.

Ancient was the opening map, picked by The MongolZ, who started strong with an 8-4 CT half. But FaZe flipped the script after the side switch, stringing together nine rounds on the defense to secure a 13-11 win. Anubis was more one-sided: FaZe took a dominant 10-2 lead before halftime and closed the map 13-4 with little resistance.

The standout performance came from Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev, who posted a 1.47 rating across the two maps, ending with 37 kills and just 18 deaths. This marks the second match in a row where s1mple appears to have entered what observers are calling his “focused mode” – a noticeable increase in impact and individual form. Whether this level is sustainable remains unclear, but in this match it was a key factor for FaZe’s success.

Supporting efforts came from frozen and rain, both providing consistent fragging and high KAST values. Meanwhile, The MongolZ struggled to convert key rounds despite another solid showing from Senzu, who finished with a 1.27 rating.

FaZe now await their quarterfinal opponent, while The MongolZ will face their decider match on June 15 at 19:30 local time.