FaZe and NAVI exit IEM Chengdu 2025 in last place – what next for two of CS2’s biggest names?

Anyone who has watched FaZe and NAVI of late can tell you with almost unshakeable certainty that neither will be fielding the same five-man lineup heading into 2026. Roster locks for the StarLadder Budapest Major leave both essentially snookered until then, but there’s no doubt about the way the wind is blowing.

After today’s matches at IEM Chengdu 2025, both FaZe and NAVI have been sent packing from China with last-place finishes, a new rock bottom for both. But what has gone so wrong for these teams, and what’s next for both?

NAVI: Scars of previous losses run deep

Sometimes, a lineup simply runs its course, and that’s okay. The rigors of competitive Counter-Strike can leave scars on a consistent lineup, which can later surface even further down the line. And despite a strong 2024, this is a NAVI lineup that have now been through some harsh lows together. Remember, everyone but makazze has been on this NAVI CS2 lineup for over two years now, and in Counter-Strike terms, that is an eternity.

That feels like exactly what is happening with NAVI. The scars of past losses have caught up, and we’re frequently seeing the worst elements of each player’s game as a result. I realize this is an utterly intangible metric to measure, but it does show itself in the performance of individuals.

For iM, that lack of firepower still rears its ugly head far too often. The highs are very high, but the lows are enough to lose entire matches regularly. For w0nderful, consistency on the AWP remains an issue. His stats perhaps flatter to deceive – you can’t quite measure the impact of high-pressure AWP whiffs in numbers. And Aleksib visibly feels every emotion of the game in the server. When the going’s good, there’s no better leader to have calling the shots. But when things are going wrong, he, for lack of a better term, gets real emo about it.

From second mid to site, @yxngstxr10 is going it ALL 🤩#IEM pic.twitter.com/7zMNLq2IGF

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) November 4, 2025

The reality is that NAVI’s lack of a true star player right now is harming them, too. Previously, this way of working has allowed NAVI to make up the impact of a star player in the aggregate, with all five pulling their weight. But right now, when individuals struggle, it feels like they need someone who can grab a game by the scruff of its neck and carry them through solo. FaZe’s frozen fits the bill perfectly, but given their own state of affairs, it feels like an impossible move to make happen.

The reality of VRS cores impact what NAVI can do post-Major. You could certainly make the argument for three changes, but two feel more likely without buying a set core. Anything less feels like negligence from the organization, which desperately needs to bring NAVI back to a competitive level in 2026. If there was any doubt, the consecutive losses to Astralis and HEROIC at IEM Chengdu 2025 should be the final nail in the coffin.

FaZe: Out of ideas, without the firepower to compete

For FaZe, going from defending IEM Chengdu champions to being out in last place against a Virtus.pro fielding two recently-graduated academy players is unacceptable. But it is a sign of the times for the team, who have been in a downward spiral for a while now.

FaZe Clan’s issues right now feel pretty clear-cut – stale ideas, and a floor to their firepower which currently resides in Hell. Ironically, both Twistzz and frozen are incredibly potent pieces, putting up very strong numbers for the team. Don’t change them, as they’re your lifeline going into 2026. No. Rather, it’s elsewhere that the problems become clear. You only have to look at the ratings in their IEM Chengdu 2025 defeat vs. Virtus.pro to perfectly illustrate the issues:

• Twistzz: 1.23 (45-38)
• frozen: 1.15 (42-39)
• jcobbb: 0.82 (32-42)
• karrigan: 0.81 (31-42)
• broky: 0.70 (25-40)

Now, we can’t reduce everything to rating and make all of our conclusions based upon it, but it does feel like a great encapsulation of FaZe’s problems at the moment. Two stars doing the most, but it’s not enough to make up for the chasm of quality in between.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that jcobbb wasn’t ready for the big leagues. Too much, too soon. Not his fault, either – when FaZe comes calling, you grasp the opportunity with both hands, but it’s hard not to imagine their floor being much higher with rain still in the picture. It also appears that reports of broky’s resurrection may be greatly exaggerated – the AWPer now resembles his pre-benching level. Not good. When you’re holding the Big Green, you should be topping scoreboards rather than bottoming out. You have to imagine that with a top AWPer, FaZe would be much closer to the finished article, even with karrigan and jcobbb’s output.

Then, you come to karrigan, where the problems are two-fold. His low fragging numbers have never been a secret to FaZe, but feel particularly rough in the team’s current composition. A problem, sure, but not the biggest. It’s FaZe’s stale ideas that concern me more. They look uninspired, flat, and all around a far cry from the FaZe we know karrigan can create. Tactically, they look outmatched by teams much worse on paper. Is that karrigan or coach NEO? It’s hard to say. Only FaZe know the truth of the matter. But right now, it’s a colossal cause for concern heading into next year. The Major already feels like a write-off, and it’s troubling times if sweeping changes aren’t in the pipeline.