FaZe Clan Win IEM Sydney 2023

On Sunday, FaZe Clan won the first-ever Counter-Strike 2 Big Event in Sydney in a thrilling three-map grand final against Complexity, which needed two overtimes to come to a close. And while a massive accomplishment for FaZe, it was also a significant achievement for Complexity, who struggled with their form this season but put up an impressive fight in Australia.

None of the three maps were blowouts, and from the start, it looked like the grand final would end in Complexity’s favour. Complexity kicked off the series with a strong showing on Overpass, which they won 13-11, only to suffer a 10-13 loss on Nuke.

After a strong showing on Nuke, FaZe Clan looked set to run away with the series and took an early 4-1 lead on Ancient. Despite dropping the fifth round, FaZe Clan extended the lead to 9-3 before the switch. After winning the second pistol round, FaZe Clan already reached double digits and increased their lead to seven rounds.

A heroic play from Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski in the second round shifted the momentum in Complexity’s favour, and they racked up six straight round wins to reduce the gap to 9-10. FaZe Clan responded with two rounds and guaranteed themselves at least an overtime, and that’s precisely what they had to settle for.

Despite sitting on the brink of losing the series, Complexity managed to win the final three rounds of regular time and forced overtime. As expected, the stalemate wasn’t lifted even after the first overtime; however, a clean 3-0 from FaZe in the second overtime on CT-side eventually proved enough for FaZe Clan to claim the trophy and win their first tournament since March.

By winning Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2023, FaZe Clan collected $100,000 in tournament winnings and a direct invite to IEM Katowice 2024. Complexity, on the other side, received a $42,000 consolation prize and left a huge statement.

Despite struggling to accomplish anything – even in fewer events – over the 2023 season, Complexity have recently found momentum and is now at three top-two finished across the last four tournaments attended. That includes gold medals from Thunderpick World Championship 2023: North American Series #2, BLAST Premier: Fall American Showdown 2023, and now a silver medal from IEM Sydney 2023.

It is Complexity’s first top-two finish in an S-Tier event since June 2020, when Complexity won BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals.