Is karrigan’s team doomed? A deeper look into FaZe’s problems after IEM Krakow

We have, or at least I have, always lauded karrigan as the best at making a team work and yielding top-notch, sometimes even near-instant results. And it’s not as if he has failed to command the spotlight with any roster, even the current one, as Budapest itself would gladly ratify. But that alone is not enough to obscure the reality that the last time FaZe lifted a trophy was almost two years ago, back in April 2024 at IEM Chengdu.

FaZe has undergone a carousel of changes since then. They have changed their AWPer. They have changed their entry fragger. They have changed their lurker. They have changed their star players. The only constant has been their IGL, karrigan. Now, this is a crude argument to make, because it does not explicitly imply that karrigan has been doing a poor job. But how many brutal losses does it take before doubt starts to creep in? At some point, the question demands to be asked. And whether the time is now will only be determined once we start counting.

Why karrigan could be next on the chopping block

The slump for FaZe began well before ropz departed, and I think that played a role in his decision to leave. That year, they were doing alright on paper, highlighted by a second-place finish at the Copenhagen Major Final, where they were arguably the favourites. Yet even then, there was a recurring pattern of early exits, with too many campaigns ending in the quarter-finals.

Then came 2025, a year defined by experimentation. They tried EliGE as the centrepiece of the team, and it failed to coalesce. They gambled on s1mple as the AWPer, and that too fell flat. Even at events like PGL Cluj-Napoca, an event conspicuously lacking several elite teams, FaZe could not leave a mark.

With Twistzz returning and rain back in the roster, there was a flicker of promise. They impressed at ESL Pro League Season 22, taking down Spirit before eventually falling to MOUZ. Their best showing came at the Budapest Major, where they finished second. At the time, karrigan framed this roster as a long-term project, meant to mature into the following year. I am sure, most of FaZe fans bought into that vision. But what we have seen so far this year has been ruthlessly disheartening.

In the last year and a half, FaZe has changed every piece except karrigan and frozen. frozen, as he has proved, completely deserves that spot. But the way FaZe have shown up in these years, the position of the 35-year-old karrigan is under fire. It’s always been clear that his individual prowess has never been his defining trait. But if he continues to fail at extracting performance from the roster, there has to come a moment when FaZe begins to probe his seat. The signs are already there. Management has shown their willingness to act, as we saw with rain. And even someone like karrigan may not be immune.

I am still not convinced by broky

The most glaring issue for FaZe has been the sheer inconsistency of their star players. It has been a miserable start to the year for Twistzz, who, aside from a handful of maps, is averaging a 0.94 rating so far. Even jcobbb has struggled to find his footing early on, currently averaging around the 0.90 mark. But there are mitigating factors here. Twistzz dealt with configuration issues that clearly affected his performance, and jcobbb occupies some of the most demanding roles on the team. I am not ready to pass judgment on either of them.

But for broky, the AWPer, it does not look good. broky has posted a 0.92 rating this year; and, under normal circumstances, I would excuse that as well, citing a limited sample size. Except it isn’t. Over the last 12 months, broky has recorded a rating above 1.00 in just 52.7% of the maps he has played.

That figure obviously pales in comparison to ZywOo, m0NESY, and sh1ro, all of whom hover comfortably in the 70 to 80% range. But, surprisingly, it turns out to also be lower than Jame, 910, w0nderful, nqz, and hallzerk. Yes, the calibre of opposition differs, and this is not a perfectly fair comparison. But the disparity is too large to ignore. hallzerk averages above 1.00 in 57.4% of his maps, nqz holds a 60% averqage, while Jame and w0nderful sit well beyond that mark.

It is acceptable to not be a hard carry when you have players like Twistzz and frozen capable of exploding. But what we have seen from broky simply does not justify his position in a team that was a Grand-Slam winner not too long ago. He has always been a system player, and that has rendered this iteration of FaZe painfully predictable. broky needs to reclaim an identity of his own. But this is a song I have been singing for over a year and a half. If this trajectory continues, he could once again find himself heading for another mid-season exit.

FaZe’s overreliance on individuals

At present, far too many chips are stacked on the stars and the IGL. That is an unhealthy equilibrium for any team. FaZe’s approach has revolved around karrigan and the secondary entry, now jcobbb, forcing gaps and reducing rounds to scrappy 3v4s or even 3v5s. From there, the burden shifts entirely onto the stars to convert. That is not a fair expectation for the players.

The most telling shift has been broky’s loss of his clutch factor. There is an adaptation missing, one that we simply are not seeing. FaZe continue to play the same brand of Counter-Strike they have leaned on for years. The same story extends to the IGL, karrigan, as well. FaZe has become a heavily read-dependent team, which explains why they struggle so much against mid-tier opposition. If karrigan is not in a flow state, the team buckles. The floor for FaZe sinks alarmingly low. It should be the responsibility of karrigan and NEO to establish a baseline strong enough to prevent losses against the bottom feeders of the top ten.

The alarm bells are ringing, but FaZe still have some wiggle room

Their run at Budapest secured them several early invites this season, buying them time. Looking at the results in isolation, FaZe exited an online tournament, lost to 3DMAX with Twistzz playing under clear constraints, and then fell to MOUZ, a defeat that is easier to stomach. What comes next is Cluj-Napoca, and it looms as the true inflection point. It is the only event in February, and if it goes poorly, the consequences could be immediate. Should FaZe fail to deliver there, roster shuffles may no longer be speculative, but inevitable.