Flawless FaZe Clan emerge as HCS Major Arlington 2025 dark horses

FaZe Clan‘s Halo roster are the ragtag band of misfits you can’t help but root for. The unwanted pieces from other teams, brought together for another crack at glory. You have Pznguin and Trippy, previously discarded from OpTic Gaming’s roster of perennial runners-up. Falcated, last seen with Sentinels, and finally, Suppressed, who spent 2024 trying to make it work with Shopify Rebellion. It’s an entirely new FaZe Clan quartet representing the famous jersey at HCS Major Arlington 2025.

We’re two days into the first Halo Major of 2025, and this new FaZe Clan roster are yet to drop a map. Their place in Championship Sunday is locked in, and they look set to make a run at the trophy against all odds. Certainly, my HCS Major Arlington power rankings didn’t have them as competing for the trophy this time around.

But for all of FaZe Clan’s success at HCS Major Arlington 2025 so far, how are they actually doing it?

All top teams will fear FaZe Clan after perfect record so far

Underestimate FaZe Clan at your own peril. Their run throughout Pool Play was already impressive enough, but with opponents like Zero Tenacity, TSM, and Mindfreak, they’re all teams you’d expect them to beat. As we moved into the Championship Bracket, the team showed no sign of fatigue as they continued to dominate, taking down Complexity to kick off the Winner’s Bracket.

However, it was against Team Nemesis that FaZe Clan really showed their true level. Team Nemesis have been a thorn in the side of everyone at HCS Major Arlington 2025, showing that EU Halo is alive, kicking, and ready to cause trouble. Yet, when up against this FaZe Clan machine, Team Nemesis looked amateurish in comparison. It was a true statement win that continued their perfect run, cementing their status as genuine dark horse contenders at this tournament. If other teams weren’t quite paying attention, they certainly are after watching this dismantling of Europe’s best.

Trippy and Falcated firepower gives FaZe Clan a much-needed edge

Halo is played like a tactical shooter at the highest levels of competition, but sometimes, it just takes brute-force firepower to assert your dominance over your opponents. In Trippy and Falcated, that’s exactly what they have. At the time of writing, these two FaZe Clan players have the highest Kill/Death ratios at the event. Falcated is sitting at a cool 1.39, with Trippy closely following at 1.37. For context, Shopify Rebellion’s Royal2 is third with 1.31. Having one player getting Slays at a ratio like this puts you in tournament contention, but two? You should be winning the whole thing.

It’s not just Trippy and Falcated doing the job for FaZe Clan, though. Suppressed and Pznguin have K/D ratios of 1.28 and 1.22, putting them at fifth and eighth in the tournament rankings, respectively. That’s the entire FaZe Clan roster in the top eight for K/D ratio. No passengers, everyone pulling their weight. They might never lose a Slayer map ever again. With this kind of firepower, who needs tactics?

Obviously, as the tournament progresses, FaZe Clan’s mettle will be tested considerably more against tougher opponents. But when it comes to building momentum and finding their individual form, FaZe Clan couldn’t have put themselves in a better position to win HCS Major Arlington 2025 heading into Championship Sunday, even as underdogs.