Since the addition of Finn “karrigan” Andersen and Nikola “NiKo” Kovač, FaZe Clan have become a world class team. 2017 has seen them make three semifinals and claim one title at StarLadder i-League StarSeries Season 3. They are ranked as the second best team in the world at HLTV.

The mixed team might be famous for its Train, but they’ve shown a clear preference for Inferno. It is their second most played map on LAN with thirteen showings in the past three months, just behind Train at sixteen. In pick-bans, FaZe has chosen the map three times since Sydney, more than any other. Vetoes have been steered to Inferno as a best-of-one or decider map four times. At present, Inferno is also tied with Mirage and Overpass as their “winningest” map. Per HLTV, FaZe holds an 83% win rate on all three, only losing Inferno once in a 17-19 overtime with SK at ECS.

Inferno is a traditionally CT sided map, with strong positions and no shortage of fallbacks for the defense. T’s have to be mindful of giving up map control as banana pushes and flanks are not uncommon. karrigan’s default system mitigates those threats and has seen the team win a slight majority of T-side rounds. Let’s take a closer look at how FaZe sets up.

FaZe Clan's pick-bans since IEM Sydney 2017

Opening Moves

Nearly every gun round consists of an early apartment take by Fabien “kioShiMa” Fiey and Håvard “rain” Nygaard. The duo buys a minimum of one incendiary and one H.E. grenade, deploying both into boiler to discourage CT’s from crossing the window. karrigan will occasionally post on the bridge for cover. The combo makes a classic play for apps, putting one in the window with the other up through stairs. Their success rate is remarkable and can no doubt be attributed to their coordination on entry.

Once in position, rain and kioShiMa are in position to gather information by listening for footsteps and gather mid-round picks. These two are the lynchpin to FaZe’s A-site executes

NiKo and allu molly car and watch, rain and kio take apartments.

Big Guns at Banana

Banana is a critical part of the map and is a necessity for B takes. It can be a dangerous place and is often challenged and pushed by would-be flankers. For that reason, FaZe prefers to play for control of the corridor and then leave their strongest player, NiKo as an anchor.

Control of banana sees more variation than apps. NiKo and AWPer Aleksi “allu” Jalli invariably open with an incendiary / H.E. combo to top banana. karrigan will sometimes offer help, making a three-man effort to claim map control. Once given, FaZe rarely pushes beyond the half-wall unless fully committing to B. Instead, NiKo takes a position while allu and karrigan fall back to mid, completing the default.

Protect the Leader

In the mid round, karrigan scoots to a well-covered area, loitering by the smoke wall near the apartment window or hidden at bench in mid. His flank is covered by NiKo, apartments by rain and kioShiMa, and Allu will typically hold an AWP angle down mid. While his team looks for picks, karrigan is at all times protected.

By keeping karrigan safe, FaZe frees their leader from focusing on his crosshair and playing his individual game. The team captain is free to think, process information and make effective calls. This is where the Dane puts on his thinking cap and earns his keep.

allu watches banana before being relieved by NiKo. rain mollies boiler.

The Lurker’s Guide

Instead of a dedicated lurk player, FaZe clan employs its extremity players as lurks. If the team groups up to go A, then NiKo becomes the lurk. The same goes for kioShiMa when the team groups up at B. It’s rare for either to chase rotators into spawn, with each player favoring mid presence above all.

Site Takes

FaZe Clan’s takes tend to come swiftly on the heels of a pick. In the case of a B-take, they almost always throw the old spools smoke along with a classic CT smoke. They approach the site methodically, using smoke for cover. Note that they shy away from diving towards dark or new-box until post-plant, clearing angles in twos. They are typically in position just in time for the smoke to clear.

Successful A-takes are accompanied by typical smokes that are often thrown off the cuff. You’ll see smokes blocking one side of mid and nearly every round will see a smoke thrown to block the view of A from players at arches or in the library. Set smokes are in the playbook, but are sidelined in favor of fast plays to capitalize on the pick.

FaZe’s default T strat is simple and has worked wonders against the top teams in Counter-Strike. By mimicking karrigan’s setup and streamlining the decision making process, you should be able to add some coordination to five-queues and FaZe Up while you rank up.

All insights were gathered by analyzing demos, viewing streams, and higher-level analytics through Shadow.gg. This is not a pro team scouting report and as such, some observations are omitted or intentionally vague.

Like our content? Support us by getting our merchandise in our shop