FaZe Clan’s Counter-Strike 2 squad is now the holder of two incredible LAN records following their opening match at today’s CS Asia Championships in Shanghai, China.
Many may remember their blistering 13-0 win over ENCE last month at IEM Sydney—the first flawless CS2 map on LAN. Now, they’ve got the longest match on record too after overcoming a spirited Ninjas in Pyjamas to win 28-25. Yes, you read that right.
Down 5-11, the IEM Sydney champs did what they did best, pulling off a patented comeback and forcing overtime with a remarkable 7-1 CT run. However, the true test came next with the teams inseparable over each overtime half.
Neither squad was able to capitalize as any form of strategy was thrown out the window. FaZe had the best chance at 18-15 and with three map points, and you’d have been forgiven for thinking it was all over. Instead, it was a perfect run of rounds behind the duo of Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke and Fredrik “REZ” Sterner that kept NiP in the game, and around they went again.
K0nfig and REZ ultimately combined for a whopping 90 kills across what turned out to be an astonishing five overtimes, with the former somehow managing over a hundred damage a round. NiP outfragged FaZe but it was Finn “karrigan” Andersen’s men who triumphed in the end.
53 rounds for one map is impressive, sure, but it pales in comparison to British squad XENEX’s 46-42 win over exceL back in 2015, or the 173-round best-of-five in the Polish regional leagues just a month out from CS2’s launch.
The win keeps FaZe’s CS2 win streak alive, with the team yet to drop a series after their very first loss to GamerLegion in Sydney. Since then, FaZe has gone 23-7 in map count according to HLTV and, should they take down MOUZ in the group stage upper match, they’ll extend their impressive streak even further.
We won’t blame them if they can’t pull it off, however; between the almost three-hour map against NiP peppered with technical pauses, a very quick 15-minute break, and MOUZ’s extended break following its 13-2 walloping of local team Wings Up, everything’s going against FaZe in this best-of-three.
But if anyone could pull off a win in this situation, it’s FaZe. The IEM Sydney champions play MOUZ for a spot in the CAC 2023 semifinals, with a loss meaning they’ll begin the playoffs in the quarterfinals.
