Games

A difficult return: Liquid upset FaZe and s1mple at IEM Dallas 2025

BBG News

On the inaugural day of the competition, s1mple found himself in his initial major game with a fresh squad. However, the comeback didn’t run as planned, despite s1mple delivering an impressive performance.

It’s clear that fostering team synergy in an esports setting is best achieved through tournament practice. The FaZe Clan, for instance, experienced this harmony following Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev’s entry into their lineup at the Intel Extreme Masters Dallas 2025 (IEM Dallas 2025), replacing Helvijs “broky” Saukants.

In their initial contest, they faced off against Team Liquid, and it seems as though the troubles within FaZe Clan persist. Their unpredictable play was evident during their last event, BLAST Rivals Spring 2025, and unfortunately, it appears those issues have resurfaced.

Despite showing signs of a strong comeback, FaZe suffered a 2:0 defeat. The performance of individual FaZe players isn’t entirely clear; it seems their teamwork could have been stronger. On the second map, s1mple delivered exceptional statistics, but Counter-Strike is inherently a collaborative game.

Team Liquid 2:0 FaZe Clan: IEM Dallas 2025, groups

Team Liquid, however, didn’t encounter this issue. Instead, they showcased an impressive strategy across both maps. By capitalizing on advantages, maintaining resilience during challenging rounds, and ultimately securing victory – that was their gameplan.

Both maps, Ancient and Inferno, finished with 13:0 in favor of Liquid.

Is s1mple really back?

For a while now, the renowned figure had been missing from professional play, but this game held immense significance for the fanbase. Unfortunately, the outcome didn’t meet the audience’s expectations. As for s1mple’s performance with FaZe, it warrants discussion.

Indeed, we witnessed some spectacular plays from him, such as his intense 1v1 battle against siuhy on the A site of Inferno. s1mple single-handedly prevented the opposing team from claiming the match point. However, that was merely a temporary reprieve.

Map 1 wasn’t too extraordinary for s1mple. He finished Ancient with -1 K/D and 73.7 ADR.

On Inferno, the showings significantly improved with s1mple boasting an impressive K/D ratio of +8, tallying 21 kills – the highest among FaZe and the top among all competitors. Regarding ADR, the stats displayed on the stream (119) vary from those on hltv (88.0). While some fans might lean toward trusting ESL’s figures, the other value is still quite respectable.

All eyes on s1mlpe: A match to set the viewership ceiling  

At IEM Dallas 2025, the initial clash between Team Liquid and FaZe kicked off the event. With further opportunities and hurdles on the horizon for both squads, the viewership during this encounter was truly remarkable. As a matter of fact, Esports Charts reported that a whopping 803,966 spectators tuned in simultaneously at the match’s peak, while the average number of viewers throughout the event reached an astounding 634,544.

At its highest point, a total of 352,365 spectators tuned in to watch the match between FaZe and FlyQuest during the BLAST Rivals Spring 2025 tournament.

At the ongoing IEM Dallas 2025 tournament, the player s1mlpe from FaZe Clan is certainly drawing even more interest.

Following their victory, Team Liquid will go up against the victor of the match between MOUZ and BC.Game Esports. For FaZe Clan, there’s no room left for errors. They find themselves in the loser’s bracket, making a swift adjustment essential.

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2025-05-19 23:41

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