FaZe’s struggles, despite having so many excellent yet disparate parts, is one of the biggest enigmas of CS2 esports. And while one of my all-time favorite pro CS memories is seeing how the old Virtus.plow squad kept finding ways to reinvent themselves and shift around roles to rejuvenate their competitive prowess, there’s always a point where it’s time to twist rather than stick. Even with FaZe’s notoriously loose attitude towards their Counter-Strike project, the Shanghai Major very much feels like a watershed occasion. Should a roster move follow in the wake of a disappointing finish, and if so, what should it be? I won’t pretend I have all the answers, but it’s worth running down the list of possibilities.

So, who’s the weakest link in this fascinating chain? Let’s discuss the five possible changes.

-rain

If I were a general manager, this would be the ruthless move I’d be eyeing. Not because rain is bad or because he can’t return to form – he’s proven people wrong time and time again in that regard. It’s just that there’s a clear expiration date on his career at the elite level, and whether it’s one, two, three, or four years, it’s at best half of what the younger guns can offer, both in terms of longevity and resale value.

-broky

There’s definitely some appeal to this. In CS2, the AWP is comparatively even more expensive than it used to be, and you can’t afford missing sitters on the big green with the reduced number of rounds available to you. Many mercurial AWPers have fallen by the wayside since Global Offensive ceased to be, and the Latvian is currently pulling woxic/torzsi-level numbers – meaning 1.1 rating averages rather than the 1.3s of ZywOo and m0NESY –, which is a big part of the team’s struggles. Someone with a higher baseline and a lower ceiling might be a useful pickup for FaZe, especially for an in-game leader as flexible as karrigan.

-frozen

I mean, it used to be so good before he showed up, right? But it still doesn’t feel right, especially at this point. Per the past three months, frozen is leading the charts for FaZe with a 1.17 rating 2.1 metric on HLTV. At 22 years of age, he is the youngest of the bunch and the most logical player to keep around for any sort of rebuild. Even if he did disrupt some synergies in the squad, he’s one, as they say, for the future.

-ropz

I mean, if you wanted to swap around one of the rifling young guns, maybe you’d rather consider this at this point? Still seems ridiculous, considering rain is another candidate. But we’ve seen ropz’s frustrations boil over with CS2, and if there’s anyone on the FaZe squad to whom the term “burnout” could reasonably be applied, it’s the young Estonian.

-karrigan

To me, this is unthinkable. In terms of teambuilding and leadership, karrigan is irreplaceable, and he’s still a top Counter-Strike mind. We’ve also already seen with IGLs like HooXi and Snax that you can take down S-Tier events with extremely diminished fragging output from the captain. If you’d consider a change out of the two veterans, he wouldn’t be the one I’d pick.

It does, however, bleed into the topic of coaching, something that feels like a very logical step for the Dane at some point down the line. RobbaN stepped down as a coach last July, at the tail end of the Global Offensive era, and no doubt it took a lot of institutional memory away ever since. Looking back, he might also be seen as an indispensable part of the sputtering FaZe machine.

Supply and demand – the pickup possibilities

Of course, no roster move is made in a vacuum, and considering the available replacements is an entirely different kettle of fish. Realistically, no intelligent decision could be made until after the Shanghai Major either way – but perhaps it’s a testament to the complexity of the FaZe puzzle that the decision on any potential roster change may ultimately end up having more to do with the high-profile players on the market rather than any of the current quintet’s shortcomings.

If siuhy expresses interest, is it time to say goodbye to karrigan? If s1mple’s buyout somehow ends up being more reasonable, would he be an upgrade over broky? Could ropz or frozen be replaced by donk? Of course. Are these realistic moves? Not necessarily. Still, the point stands: FaZe’s roster moves will likely be dictated by supply rather than demand.