FaZe takes down Heroic after a thrilling Ancient

FaZe took on Heroic in their opening match of the BLAST Premier World, a series that lived up to expectations in the final map. FaZe eventually won the series 2-0, but it wasn’t after a very close and exciting Ancient map that went to overtime. Here’s a quick rundown of how the FaZe vs Heroic matchup went through at the BLAST Premier World Finals 2023. 

Both teams have had roster changes and this tournament is the first big event for them. As the players and coaches adjust to the new players on the team, the BLAST World Finals gives fans their first peek at these rosters. FaZe Clan recently added Frozen to their squad while Heroic are using two stand-ins in the form of Jason "salazar" Salazar and Rasmus "Zyphon" Nordfoss. 

Overpass was Heroic’s map of choice with FaZe Clan going for Ancient. After vetoing Nuke and Mirage, it was Anubis that was the map left over. 

Even though Overpass was Heroic’s map of choice, it did not seem they were comfortable on this map. They won the pistol and the follow-up round, but then they failed to figure out what to do in the first half. The first half ended with a substantial lead for FaZe Clan. 

After securing a 10-2 lead in the first half, it was always going to be a formality for FaZe to secure the map. Broky and Ropz led the charge for FaZe Clan with multi-kills and strong defensive holds. 

Both players had 17 kills apiece with broky having an impressive 112.5 ADR. Interestingly, over on the Heroic squad, Zyphon was the top fragger, clearly comfortable in his role on the team. He finished Overpass with 17 frags, the same as broky and ropz. FaZe won Overpass with a 13-3 score.

The second map of Ancient was much closer and more competitive compared to the first map. Ancient was FaZe Clan’s map of choice, and they continued their momentum from the previous map. It was not as easy going as the first map, however, despite the 8-4 lead on the first half. 

Heroic had a very strong start on their T side winning the first seven rounds in a row. They snatched the lead from FaZe Clan and were on the verge of tying up the series 1-1. However, a late resurgence by FaZe Clan saw Ancient go to overtime. 

In Overtime, FaZe Clan had the better performance to secure the map with a 16-14 score. It was an extremely closely contested map with multiple clutches and suspense until the final round. 

After this victory, FaZe Clan will face off against the winner of MOUZ and G2 esports in Group B. The winner of that match will secure a spot directly in the tournament semifinals. The BLAST Premier World Finals has a million dollar prize pool and eight of the best CS2 teams in competition. The tournament takes place at the Etihad Arena in UAE over five days. You can catch all the action live on Twitch.

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