Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev’s return to professional CS2 didn’t go as planned. FaZe continues to ride a rollercoaster of highs and lows, struggling to bounce back from key missteps.
Fans hoped for a glorious return. The entire CS2 community followed these FaZe matches with great interest. How does Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev perform after such a break?
The return turned out to be shaky, as all the recent results of FaZe Clan in CS2. If we think about this with a cool head, it’s pretty understandable. Even the most brilliant players need time and practice with a new team.
The individual stats of s1mple went from being good to becoming suddenly brilliant and then dropping to just mediocre for a player of such caliber.
FaZe is out of the Intel Extreme Masters Dallas 2025 (IEM 2025) after three matches in the group stage. Their only win here was against BC.Game Esports. They got eliminated by HEROIC.
HEROIC 2:1 FaZe
Most people believed in the power of FaZe. Even in this state, such guys can’t be beaten by HEROIC, right? Not really.
Having two new players is a big deal. In addition to s1mple, FaZe played with Felipe "skullz" Medeiros at IEM Dallas 2025. He currently has an inactive status in FURIA. Skullz replaced rain.
FaZe already lost to Team Liquid and therefore fell to the elimination bracket. Their second match at the tournament was quite successful: 2:0 against BC.Game Esports. HEROIC turned out to be the final boss FaZe couldn’t defeat.
Game | Map | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient | HEROIC 9:14 FaZe |
| 2 | Anubis | HEROIC 13:7 FaZe |
| 3 | Mirage | HEROIC 16:14 FaZe |
Ancient
Map 1 did not start well for FaZe, as the teams went for the break with 6:6. Then, when HEROIC took the CT side, FaZe suddenly looked like a totally different team.
The true hero of their success on Ancient was karrigan. He delivered kills and literally carried FaZe.
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Anubis
Map 2 was just bad for FaZe. Or rather it was totally great for HEROIC! After an initial adaptation, they entered beast mode and destroyed their opponents.
S1mple’s numbers shifted from -4 K/D and 55.1 ADR in Game 1 to -3 K/D and 56.3 ADR in Game 2. His impact wasn’t too meaningful — partially because HEROIC players seemingly avoided this legendary opponent. They found a good approach to FaZe.
Mirage: HEROIC vs FaZe at IEM Dallas 2025
Map 3 started as a continuation of the previous game for FaZe. They showed the promises of recovery closer to the end. Still, Mirage finished awfully for the team. HEROIC ignored big names and just won this battle. They kept their determination even in overtime.
S1mple could achieve 71.7 ADR, but his K/D numbers fell to -5.
HEROIC have to face Aurora Gaming for a chance to play in the Playoffs of IEM Dallas 2025. Aurora came right after PGL Astana 2025, and they defeated Team Liquid in the lower brackets of Group B.
FaZe Clan with s1mple in the roster will compete at the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 event.
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