In a blockbuster mid-season move, Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev has joined FaZe Clan on loan from Natus Vincere (NAVI) and will compete in the upcoming IEM Dallas and BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. He will replace Helvijs ‘broky’ Saukants, who has been benched from the active lineup.
s1mple, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in CS history, has been inactive from NAVI since late 2023 and only briefly returned earlier this year with Team Falcons.
Despite playing just one official match for Falcons in the BLAST Spring Showdown, his return to competition was highly anticipated. He is now guaranteed to have a much longer run of matches at the top level.
FaZe confirmed the change on May 5, shortly after moving broky to the bench.
FaZe’s decision to bench broky follows months of underwhelming finishes for the team. Despite reaching playoff stages at several recent tournaments, including the PGL Major Copenhagen, FaZe failed to convert opportunities into titles.
Now, with s1mple stepping in, FaZe is certainly taking a leap of faith with an undoubtedly talented player, but one who has been out of tier-1 action for the better part of two years.
Following the announcement, FaZe IGL karrigan said: “Looking forward to play with this GOAT at the major. This is an all-in move, we are going for the trophy at [the] major even if Sasha is only a stand-in, I know we can win.”
All eyes will be on FaZe as they debut this new lineup at IEM Dallas, which starts on May 19. s1mple is set to remain with the team for the BLAST Austin Major too, where FaZe will play in Stage 2 starting June 7.
FaZe Clan roster:
- Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen
- Håvard ‘rain’ Nygaard
- Jonathan ‘EliGE’ Jablonowski
- David ‘frozen’ Čerňanský
- Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev
