FaZe Clan reached the BLAST Rivals Season 1 semifinal with stand-in Neityu and new IGL Twistzz, then got dismantled 0-2 by NaVi in Fort Worth on May 2. The run was scrappy, emotional, and ultimately not enough to answer the question that hangs over this organization like a guillotine: what comes next?

The Post-karrigan FaZe Clan Roster Faces Its Biggest Test in 2026

Let’s rewind. karrigan left for Falcons on April 20, reuniting with NiKo and coach zonic after a five-year second stint that delivered FaZe’s only Major title at PGL Antwerp 2022, an Intel Grand Slam, and eight notable LAN trophies. His departure was sudden. Twistzz confirmed on his Discord that karrigan “wasn’t kicked” and that the move caught the roster off guard. Three days later, FaZe announced Neityu, the 20-year-old Frenchman formerly of ENCE and a product of the MOUZ NXT academy, as their stand-in for the next three events.

The coaching staff looks different too. NEO was let go in mid-March. enkay J, who previously worked with Neityu at both ENCE and MOUZ NXT, joined as head coach on April 16. That existing relationship shortened the integration timeline, which mattered given that BLAST Rivals kicked off just nine days after karrigan’s transfer became official.

A Quarterfinal Upset, Then a Semifinal Reality Check

FaZe’s BLAST Rivals path told two stories. In the opening group match, NaVi beat them 2-0. FaZe dropped to the lower bracket, eliminated FURIA 2-1 to survive, and advanced to the playoffs. Then came the quarterfinal against G2, and FaZe pulled off what might be the most entertaining series of the tournament.

Down 12-9 on Mirage in the decider, FaZe strung together three consecutive defuses to force overtime, eventually closing it out 16-13. frozen was monstrous. broky found his old confidence. The arena was loud. For 90 minutes, it felt like the FaZe chaos machine had rebooted under new management.

The semifinal erased that optimism fast. NaVi took FaZe’s own map pick, Dust2, apart with a dominant 13-5 scoreline. FaZe grabbed an early 4-1 lead on the T side, but NaVi’s CT setup stabilized and locked down the half at 7-5. From there, NaVi ran a flawless T side after the switch, winning six straight rounds without dropping a single one. Ancient was closer at 13-11, with FaZe mounting a furious T-side comeback from 3-9 down to briefly take the lead at 11-10, but NaVi steadied themselves and closed the door with three straight rounds.

No Major, No Permanent IGL, No Easy Answers

Here is where the narrative gets heavy. FaZe will not be at the IEM Cologne Major in June. They failed to qualify after losing to BIG in the grand final of HLC Belgrade PRO in early April, ending a streak that dated back to the org’s entry into Counter-Strike in 2016. karrigan himself called it “the lowest point of my career.” It was also the last event he played for FaZe before the Falcons move.

Twistzz is calling the shots for now, and the early reviews are mixed. He took on IGL duties during his time on Liquid in 2024 after cadiaN was benched, and while his individual numbers held up, the team’s results were forgettable. Former Liquid coach zews and co-CEO Nazgul publicly disagreed on whether Twistzz was the right fit for the role. At BLAST Rivals, his calling looked energetic but inconsistent, particularly on CT sides where FaZe repeatedly struggled to hold sites.

FaZe Neityu Stand-In Extends Through IEM Atlanta and Beyond

Neityu will stay in the lineup for IEM Atlanta (May 11-17) and Stake Ranked Episode 2 (May 27-30). He was ranked 17th in HLTV’s 2025 Prospect Report, earned public praise from apEX, and showed flashes at BLAST Rivals, including a clutch 1v2 against G2 that kept FaZe alive in the quarterfinal. But the honest assessment is that this remains a band-aid. FaZe’s active roster on paper is Twistzz, frozen, broky, jcobbb, and a borrowed player. That is not a lineup built to compete at the top of CS2 in the second half of 2026.

Twistzz said it plainly in his HLTV interview before the event: top 10 VRS by year’s end is “non-negotiable,” along with a stable roster and players feeling confident. He also made a telling comment about frozen: “I hope frozen wants to be here for the rebuild and be a pillar alongside me and the other OGs.” That phrasing suggests nothing is guaranteed.

What FaZe’s Calendar Looks Like Now

IEM Atlanta is the immediate next stop, and with the team currently sitting at #17 in the HLTV world ranking, every VRS point matters for the PGL Singapore Major qualification window later this year. Stake Ranked Episode 2 follows at the end of May, a smaller LAN where FaZe are one of six directly invited teams alongside NiP, 3DMAX, HEROIC, 9z, and Alliance.

Prediction markets reflect the uncertainty. Polymarket’s “FaZe roster change before GTA VI” market sits at roughly 82% implied probability, and the market on FaZe winning a Tier 1 event this year is priced at over 91% on No. The betting public is not optimistic.

This FaZe lineup showed fight in Fort Worth. The G2 series was genuinely compelling, and Twistzz clearly brings energy and willingness. But energy without structure only gets you so far. The semifinal loss to NaVi exposed the gap between a team that is figuring things out and a team that knows exactly what it is.

FaZe have the firepower. frozen has been producing at an elite level even while the roster crumbled around him. broky found flashes of his old self this week. Neityu looks like a player worth investing in. But the org needs a permanent IGL, a settled five-man roster, and a plan that extends beyond the next tournament. Right now, they have none of those things. The post-karrigan era started with a fight in Texas. Whether it becomes a rebuild or a collapse depends entirely on what happens behind the scenes between now and the summer.