FaZe Clan’s Budapest Major is teetering on the edge of disaster. The two-time CS2 Major finalists sit at 1-2 after falling to Ninjas in Pyjamas and NRG. Now Finn “karrigan” Andersen’s roster is one loss away from a shocking Stage 1 elimination. Their survival depends on defeating RED Canids on Nov. 26. One more loss would end their journey in Hungary before it has even begun.
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FaZe at the Budapest Major: The Nightmare Road to 1-2
FaZe started strong thanks to drawing one of the easier opponents in Lynn Vision. They dominated Nuke 13-5 in their opening match. The firepower of Twistzz and Frozen looked unstoppable. Then everything fell apart.
NRG delivered the first blow. Despite the North American side playing without their In-Game Leader, they beat FaZe 13-10 on Dust2. Daps, as the coach stand-in, was able to match karrigan’s calling, while his stars dominated their FaZe counterparts. The shocking loss put FaZe in immediate danger.
NiP then twisted the knife on Overpass. FaZe won the pistol round conversions in both halves, but that was all they could muster. Snappi not only had the perfect read of FaZe’s attacks, but outcalled karrigan on the T-side as well. And to add the cherry on top, X-factor sniper r1nkle was also towards the top of the leaderboard for NiP.
Despite it being a 13-8 game, FaZe were never competitive on Overpass. Given how strong the team has been there in the past (particularly with, former teammate, rain in bathrooms), the loss painted a very dire picture.
Related—Starladder Budapest Major 2025: Stage 1 preview
What’s going wrong for FaZe?
FaZe’s disastrous run at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 is not entirely unprecedented. Throughout the year, the team has struggled to make a significant impact. And their roster instability has never felt more significant. Whether it be s1mple’s stand-in stint over broky during the Austin major, or the decision to bench jcobbb to field Twistzzz in an EPL eligible roster, it looks like karrigan’s stuck spinning plates while simultaneously trying to crack the code to make FaZe work.
To add to their woes, FaZe don’t have a talismanic player to really rally the troops and carry them through the tough times. At Shanghai it was ropz in imperial form before his move to Vitality. And s1mple followed that up with his only proper Tier 1 appearance so far. Right now, nobody is really stepping up for FaZe at a consistent level.
Can FaZe survive through StarLadder Budapest Major Stage 1?
FaZe’s next match will be up against the RED Canids. And realistically, even at their worst, karrigan and co. should never lose to the Brazilian side. What FaZe really need to do is focus on their final game of Stage 1.
Looking at the simulators, unless multiple upsets happen across the rest of the matches, FaZe will likely be facing Fluxo in the decider game. On paper, much like RED Canids, Fluxo is not playing at the same level as FaZe. But Fluxo have already demonstrated their incredibly explosive firepower at Budapest. Both GamerLegion, and fnatic found out just how quickly a situation can go sideways against arT’s men. So expect Fluxo to take a map off FaZe at minimum, and more if it starts as a slow day in the office for the International side.
Related—Veteran CS2 analyst criticizes FaZe karrigan for lackluster individual performance
Key questions, though, still remain unanswered for FaZe. Can broky find his aggressive footing again? Can Twistzz and frozen pop off together? And can karrigan bring out some mid-round calling to dig themselves out of this whole?
Final Verdict on FaZe’s Budapest Major
FaZe’s task now is rather simple: win or go home. FaZe entered as Stage 1 favorites. Now they fight for survival after just two days. They should still win on paper, but form and momentum both work against them. Meanwhile, their opponents have nothing to lose. Whatever happens, the team that faces RED Canids must look drastically different. They can’t play like the disjointed squad we’ve watched struggle. Otherwise, one of Counter-Strike’s most stories organizations will head home early. The FaZe Budapest Major disaster will be complete.
