What to expect from Liquid vs FaZe

We've waited, we've persisted, and we have been rewarded with a Liquid stage appearance after a tumultuous start to the year. However, this team was built to win on stage, not just to appear on them, and this first matchup will truly prove the mettle of this squad as they take on the seven-time grand finalists FaZe.

Liquid: are they contenders?

After a long break following missing the Major, Liquid had a lot to reflect upon, and it seems that they have finally jumped passed the mental hurdle to finally become a decent international squad. But decent doesn't cut it on stage, especially not when facing the titans of CS2, FaZe.

• Liquid had months to prepare, FaZe had just a couple days after the Major Final

• Twistzz is putting up a phenomenal 1.27 rating over Liquid's six maps thus far

• YEKINDAR has yet to fully slot in, giving up ten opening deaths in the series against MOUZ

FaZe: road to another finals?

FaZe are without a doubt the strongest team in CS2. Despite the trophies not going their way for the past couple months, making it to seven finals in a row cannot be a fluke. To stop FaZe, they will also have to contend with a historic achievement in the making.

• Barely any time to prep for Chengdu, plus Liquid is a new team making it hard to antistrat

• frozen has been lights out with a 1.26 rating over the event

• ropz has woken up from his Major slumber with a 1.18 rating

• Seven finals in a row for the #1 ranked team... can they make it eight?

Previous Matchups

For once Liquid has a previous matchup! These two duked it out in BLAST Spring Groups where Liquid made a fine showing by defeating Spirit and GamerLegion before losing to FaZe and G2. This was a relatively close matchup, with FaZe taking it with 13-9 and 13-11 halves. With a Liquid that's looking much stronger against a FaZe that hasn't slowed down once bit, this will surely be a fiery game.

Likely Vetoes

Last time, FaZe picked Nuke to Liquid's Mirage. This time around, FaZe will certainly be slightly favored in the veto. FaZe's ability to play Vertigo, as proven in their quarterfinal barn-burner against Spirit, means Liquid must ban the map, as they cannot risk floating it. This gives FaZe the choice to ban Overpass, another map they dislike.

• FaZe ban Overpass

• Liquid ban Vertigo

• FaZe pick Nuke

• Liquid pick Inferno

• Ancient decider

Three Storylines

To get a taste of the significance of this matchup, read our article on three storylines of FaZe vs Liquid and take note as the playoffs in Chengdu get underway!