FaZe vs NiP: The Ropz effect as FaZe reach BLAST Premier Grand Finals

For the fans at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, they had a difficult choice to make for the second semifinals. On one hand were the Swedes in NiP but then they had FaZe Clan on the other side. The FaZe vs NiP match saw both teams put up a dominant performance.

With a 7-2 start on their T side of Overpass, NiP looked extremely dominant. Multiple players were firing on all cylinders for the Ninjas. Despite some recent balances, Overpass is still a slightly CT sided map. So seeing NiP take a 7-2 lead meant they should’ve had a very easy time on Overpass.

But FaZe Clan took its own time to come to form and once they found their groove, they seemed unstoppable. In the first half, broky and rain spearheaded FaZe Clan’s comeback. KarrigaN’s teams have always had a strong performance on maps like Mirage and Overpass and the never-say-die attitude definitely helped the FaZe members on Overpass.

But NiP’s lead on the first half helped them in the second half as they managed a very one-sided CT half to close out the map. FaZe Clan’s strength on this map did not seem to be of much help as they lost Overpass with a 10-16 score.

FaZe Clan were off to a strong start on their T side of Nuke with a 6-1 lead. However, the Ninjas brought it back with some close clutches and unfortunate post-plant positions for FaZe Clan. There was a clear difference in communication and the calmness of the Ninjas' performance was clearly a huge advantage for them. It wasn't long before NiP tied the series at 6-6. NiP went further to win eight straight rounds and actually take a lead in the first half.

The Ninjas are not known to win pistols, in fact, statistics show they have a 16% win rate on pistols at the event. But they won the second-half pistol much to the dismay of FaZe Clan fans.

NiP won some key rounds in the second half to take the score to 14-10 and it looked like they would run away with the map. However, FaZe Clan seemed to bring it back in the final stages of Nuke. FaZe were obviosldy on the CT side of Nuke in the second half and used it to their advantage. KarrigaN was feeling the vibe of the Danish crowd and was having a good time on stage.

Ropz stepped it up for FaZe Clan as they closed out map 2 in Overtime with a 19-17 score.

The final map of Mirage was a relatively one-sided affair. Buoyed by their Nuke momentum, FaZe looked in complete control of the map and were often making aggressive plays. The first half was a relatively even 8-7, but FaZe's complete control over the map in the second half helped them secure the series.

With this win, FaZe Clan will now face Heroic in the Grand Finals of the $500,000 tournament. It will still be a tough task for FaZe Clan as they are going up against an all-Danish lineup with the Danish home crowd clearly supporting Heroic. However, KarrigaN's presence will also bring forth some unique supporters for FaZe Clan.

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