FaZe suffered a disappointing defeat in their first series at Stake Ranked Episode 4, losing to Nemiga in what proved to be a closely contested battle. The loss adds more pressure on Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken's squad as they struggle to secure their spot at the PGL Singapore Major. The team's current form shows them at 1-8 across maps in their last four matches.
The series began on Mirage, where FaZe squandered a promising 9-3 advantage on their Counter-Terrorist side. Even after building a 12-8 lead following the side switch, they couldn't seal the deal in regular time. FaZe crumbled by dropping four consecutive rounds, pushing the map into overtime. The collapse continued in extra rounds as Nemiga dominated, winning eight straight rounds to claim Mirage 16-14. Kirill "Xant3r" Kononov was instrumental for Nemiga, posting 26 frags with an impressive 1.51 rating.
Ancient offered no relief for FaZe. After grabbing an early 3-0 lead on defense, they watched Nemiga storm back by taking seven of the next eight rounds. FaZe entered halftime down by two rounds. Nemiga extended their advantage after the swap, reaching double digits first by winning the pistol and subsequent two rounds. FaZe mounted a brief comeback with three straight rounds, but Nemiga responded immediately with two more to establish a 12-8 cushion. Despite FaZe's desperate attempts to force overtime, a crucial double kill from Xant3r in round 24 shut down their mid push, allowing Nemiga to close out Ancient 13-11.
FaZe now faces Astralis in the lower bracket tomorrow at 08:30 AM, needing victories to keep their Major qualification dreams alive.
