FaZe Clan has captured their first victory of 2019 by winning the ELEAGUE CSGO Invitational. They were able to steal the prize away from the hands of Cloud9, after mounting an epic comeback in their second game.
.@FaZeClan's ELEAGUE CS:GO Invitational 2019 journey. pic.twitter.com/iPxCoa7n86
— ELEAGUE (@ELEAGUETV) January 28, 2019
FaZe Clan were coming from a pretty rough road through the tournament. First, they would fall to Cloud9 in two games, both in overtime. It was a heartbreaking loss, but nevertheless, they had to prepare for the losers’ bracket. There they would face off against CompLexity Gaming, who they’d get past with ease. Later on, they would meet BIG Clan, who hasn’t had a top-two finish since ESL One Cologne. FaZe would take them down in three close matches as well.
Meanwhile, Cloud9 had a pretty challenging road to the ELEAGUE Invitational Finals. Before the Grand Finals against FaZe, they were undefeated, with 2-0 wins against FaZe Clan and BIG Clan. Even though they were able to sweep both those matchups, they were to the wire. Their wins against BIG Clan were separated by only two wins each. It was also an interesting storyline, seeing Cloud9 perform without their shotcaller, Maikil “Golden” Selim. Instead, they had Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro standing in on a trial basis.
FaZe stuns Cloud9 with comeback victory
In their first game on Mirage, Cloud9 would get an early lead and never look back. After dominating the first few rounds, FaZe Clan would look to their first gun round for a sign of hope. However, the North Americans would stamp out any light with some stifling defense. Each of their players were winning their respective duels and were running on all cylinders. On the other hand, FaZe was visibly cold, with Nikola “NiKo” Kovač and Håvard “rain” Nygaard sporting zero kills by the seventh round. The Europeans would end up only taking three rounds in the whole map, as Timothy “autimatic” Ta and company would smash game one, 16-3.
3 AWP kills from @autimaticTV locks down the A site! pic.twitter.com/bV5IrerMhz
— ELEAGUE (@ELEAGUETV) January 28, 2019
In their second match on Inferno, FaZe would flip the script and jump out to a quick 6-1 lead. Fortunately, Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey would clutch out a 1v3 to win Cloud9 their first round of the half. From then on, Cloud9 would trade a few rounds with their opponents, but FaZe would storm to an 11-4 lead at halftime. In the second half, Cloud9 would rally hard and win eight of the first nine rounds. With the deficit cut down to one round, FaZe picked up some ground and would win three rounds in a row. Soon after, they’d lock the map down and win, 16-12.
Dominance on Train
The final Boss 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ugNKK9mu6d
— ELEAGUE (@ELEAGUETV) January 28, 2019
On the deciding map, FaZe and Cloud9 would go back and forth early, with the Europeans winning the first two rounds and Cloud9 winning the next two. Unfortunately, the rest of the half would be pretty lopsided, with FaZe Clan winning nine of the remaining eleven rounds in the first half. With an 11-4 lead, FaZe would try to end the tournament early with three quick round wins. Cloud9 would try to mount a comeback of their own with four wins in a row, but FaZe would manage to close out the series in style. Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács would lead his team with 34 kills and a 131.2 ADR. It was a great series from the Final Boss, who led the server with 59 kills.
Final Thoughts
For Cloud9, it is a tough loss to swallow. Having their first win right in the grasp, only for it to be taken away must be hard. However, they can still hold their heads high with the results of ELEAGUE. They are still playing without their in-game leader and being able to reach the Grand Finals of a premier event in such circumstances is something to be proud of. We will need to see whether or not they stick with Zellsis as a stand-in, as he didn’t really impress many with his performance.
FaZe Clan looks pretty good and has a trophy in their 2019 case already. Also, this win must feel good for their newest additions, Dauren “AdreN” Kystaubayev and head coach Janko “YNk” Paunović. Although this event only had four teams, it is a step in the right direction for FaZe after a lackluster 2018 season. Although there are still some kinks they need to work out before facing the best in the world, expect FaZe Clan to fight hard every step of the way.
What are your thoughts on FaZe Clan taking down Cloud9 at the ELEAGUE CSGO Invitational? Let us know what you think in the comments below! If you want more CSGO coverage, check us out here!
