The king is back – What to expect from FaZe s1mple at IEM Dallas

Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev debuts tomorrow for FaZe at IEM Dallas 2025, and lo and behold, the expectations are sky-high. That’s no surprise, as he was once the veritable summit of CS:GO. And while his CS2 rating rests at a 1.04 across merely 16 maps, and though we are already betwixt the merry month of May and this will mark his first official of the year, the sheer fact that he returns under arguably the greatest IGL to ever grace the game, karrigan, renders this a tale worth holding one’s breath for.

So let us jolt back for a moment, crack open the fact book, and see what we can muster as we ready ourselves for s1mple’s curtain-raiser in Dallas.

We will see the vintage s1mple again

s1mple was unveiled as FaZe’s star recruit on May 5th. Since then, he’s played just 15 FACEIT games. Five were on Dust2, four on Mirage, three on Ancient, and one each on Anubis, Train, and Inferno. Except for a thunderous performance on Mirage (36-12) and a strong showing on Ancient (28-22), there was nary a game that truly lived up to the storm of hype that’s been swirling about him.

But the Counter-Strike community, indeed, is often considered a deluded bunch, and I count myself among them. Though the FACEIT numbers read rather plainly, I dare say we’ll still see flickers of the same s1mple that once ruled the server. After all, you can only keep a lion in slumber for so long. If a player like degster can vanish into the ether for a spell and still return with some rippers, then perhps s1mple, the greatest to ever do it in Global Offensive can surely rise again.

When he played for Falcons, he often went negative. Yet now and then, he dropped ratings that soared between 1.4 and 1.6. That, I believe, shall be the shape of s1mple’s early days in FaZe. The consistency may waver, but now and then, we shall glimpse the s1mple of yore. Particularly on pug-friendly maps like Mirage or Dust2, which is FaZe’s best shot by the look of things.

Where does skullz fit in?

Now, speaking of skullz. There lies a genuine prospect, even though it’s just for Dallas. It was quite clear that rain was wrenched from his comfort zone to make room for EliGE, often placed out of some of his star CT roles that didn’t quite fit the cloth. I’ve said the same before, but it bears repeating: the man looked visibly shackled. Bringing in skullz may well be the cure for FaZe’s defensive wounds. It would also ease the load on frozen, who’s been a force of nature on T-sides but still a tad tentative on the other side of the coin.

The impact of missing rain will be apparent on the opening duels on T-side. The success will hinge on whether s1mple will be bold enough to claim them. It’s not do-or-die, FaZe still have EliGE and karrigan, but given that both have fared poorly in first-duel success, the weight may fall upon s1mple’s shoulders if FaZe wants to see the kind of results they have been expecting with the change.

Crazy Storylines for the True CS Faithful

How well s1mple performs remains a question wrapped in riddle and bound in time. But if he can recapture even a shadow of his former self, just imagine the Counter-Strike cosmos we could bear witness to. Historically, CS has thrived in eras ruled by a single team or fierce rivalries. And for most of his reign, s1mple was one half of such a duopoly.

Once he stepped aside, new prodigies rose: donk, m0NESY. But if the embers of s1mple’s greatness can be rekindled, we may see an unprecedented era with four superstar-led powerhouses. donk with Spirit, ZywOo with Vitality, m0NESY with Falcons, and now s1mple with FaZe.

And that’s not the end of this bard’s tale. Another epic looms on the horizon: FaZe versus Vitality. Since ropz crossed the threshold into FaZe, the two titans have clashed just once, and it was nothing short of a spectacle. The rematch would see ropz against his former comrades and, more tantalizing still, s1mple versus ZywOo, an old rivalry adding to the spice. s1mple has already made it plain that beating Vitality is a matter of pride, and I can only imagine that the rest of FaZe feel the same.

So if you are a true CS faithful, I’d find it hard to believe you wouldn’t be rooting for s1mple to soar once more. And the best thing is, after a couple of weeks of not seeing FaZe on the server, IEM Dallas 2025 starts tomorrow with FaZe vs. Liquid as the opener. Let the games begin.