FaZe Clan have long been known as one of the preeminent experiments in crafting world-class European rosters, but recent times have not been kind to FaZe Clan. After failing to defeat Cloud9 at the Boston Major, FaZe have been mired in mixed results and roster changes.
The full FaZe Clan roster has not been set, but the roster we are anticipating for NYC includes Brazilian legend Marcelo "coldzera" David. FaZe Clan has a great history at ESL One New York 2019 with a trophy win in 2017, but their recent form does not inspire any confidence whatsoever.
Roster
Havard "rain" Nygaard (1.03)
Rain has taken a step back from his position as a top-five player in 2017 over the years, but he has still been a positive contributor to the team over the year. If rain were to regain some form he would go a long way to giving FaZe Clan more bite.
Nikola "NiKo" Kovac (1.06)
If you look at NiKo's numbers over the year you would be shocked. One of the European prodigies, NiKo has been in the top five player ranking three years running (#1 in 2016, #2 in 2017, and #3 in 2018) and his current stats may see him dive in the rankings for 2019. NiKo transitioning into an IGL of sorts is a path that could make or braek his career and leading a brand new team to victory would certainly be a challenge fit for a king.
Olof "olofmeister" Kajbjer (1.02)
Olof has not been the star he used to be this year, but that does not mean he isn't a reliable supportive element in the team. Olofmeister may no longer be a rock-solid fantasy option, but he doesn't hold the team back.
Helvijs "broky" Saukants (stand-in) (1.18)
The unknown element, broky certainly has good stats, but he has been playing against lower-level competition. FaZe seem to be taking the youngster as a gamble, but prior gambles such as Jorgen "cromen" Robertsen paid back in dividends.
Marcelo "coldzera" David (1.13)
Coldzera was wasting away on MIBR's bench because he grew disillusioned with the team, but now coldzera is the rumored fifth of FaZe Clan. Coldzera would be a great addition to a team that shockingly needs some star power now that NiKo has become a totally different player.
Recent form
Offline:
StarLadder Berlin Major (12th-14th)
ESL One: Cologne 2019 (9th-12th)
EPL S9 Finals (5th-6th)
The recent form for FaZe Clan is pretty atrocious by their standards. The last event they were competitive in was in early June and their last tournament win was BLAST Pro Series: Miami. The team has not won an S-tier event since October 2018 (EPICENTER 2018), and with a new team, this will be hard to judge how good FaZe is.
Odds are the team will not be that great because of lack of proper practice and they are in a tough group, but Faze Clan have surprised in the past.
Potential for success
The ceiling is technically high for FaZe, but I doubt they will realize that potential. The potential lies in NiKo's ability to call and their new star talents working out the way they have in the past. Recreating that punishing team that barely conceded rounds in ESL One NYC 2017 would surely be a sight to see, but I am predicting FaZe Clan to make a group stage exit.
Written By:Ezekiel Carsella@jamaican116