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FaZe Clan stands on the brink of disaster. Just weeks after completing the Intel Grand Slam, the team are on the verge of missing their first CS:GO Major since Dreamhack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015. It would be the highest of highs, contrasted against the lowest of lows.

FaZe’s hopes of qualifying for the last CS:GO Major lay in tatters. Image Credit: FaZe Clan on Twitter

The signs pointed to a comfortable qualification after they went 2-0 against OG and Apeks. The defeat to NAVI was a slip-up, but nothing to be ashamed about. Two more best-of-threes offered ample opportunity for a confirmed trip to Paris, but Bad News Eagles and MOUZ had other ideas. With respect to BNE and MOUZ, a Grand Slam-winning FaZe should be easing past them in their current iterations.

There’s something not right at FaZe. Throughout, the players were visibly tilted whenever anything went wrong, in a way we’ve never seen from this team. After the NAVI defeat, Twistzz took to Twitter, admitting he hasn’t “been feeling the game lately.” It’s an unhelpful admission. With everything on the line, FaZe needs their star rifler to be feeling the game.

In the immediate aftermath of their final defeat, IGL karrigan had little to say on Twitter but two words, “shit show.” Once the dust settled, he gave a little more context, with a much stronger worded Tweet. While the team are active on social media, the change in tone is massive. It speaks to serious trouble in paradise.

They’ve reacted to Final defeats with less anger, frustration and emotion. Of all the reactions, karrigan’s is the most interesting. Could it be a sign that Father Time has finally come for karrigan, as it has so many legendary players in the past? Or does he just need some fresh ideas? We’ll have to wait and see, and hopefully we aren’t seeing the last days of one of the best CS:GO teams ever. No matter what, we’re going to see what FaZe are truly made of in the Decider Bracket.

This result certainly offers huge cause for concern. Group B of the European RMR is stacked, so there are guaranteed to be three strong teams joining them on the other side of the Decider Bracket. You can never fully count FaZe out, but in this form, you’d not bet on them either. So has the fire finally gone from the bellies of this FaZe roster after winning the Grand Slam, or will they overcome the challenge of the Last Chance Decider Bracket? Only the coming days will tell.