FaZe clan signs s1mple on loan for IEM Dallas and Austin Major 2025

Return of the ‘Goat’

The stunning shake-up, which shocked many fans, saw FaZe Clan recruit Counter-Strike legend Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev.

He is on loan from Natus Vincere (NAVI) to replace Helvijs “broky” Saukants for IEM Dallas 2025 (May 19–25) and BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 (June 2–22).

This was officially announced on May 5, 2025, via FaZe’s X account, with the aim to revive the fortunes of the clan after a very bad season.

s1mple’s return to CS2

The 27-year-old Ukrainian, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest CS: GO players, is finally making his return to the Counter-Strike 2 pro scene after a five-month hiatus.

His last competitive stint with Team Falcons in late 2024 at ESL Challenger Katowice and the Shanghai Major RMR was kind of underwhelming.

He now joins FaZe for IEM Dallas, the first U.S. Major in seven years, reuniting with former Team Liquid teammate Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski.

With only two weeks to gel with FaZe’s lineup—Håvard “rain” Nygaard, Finn “karrigan” Andersen, David “frozen” Čerňanský, and EliGE—this is a high-risk gamble.

Source: esports.gg

Also Read: How to get free Counter-Strike 2 skins in 2025?

Why was Broky benched?

Now, FaZe clan has benched Brocky after a disappointing 2025 season. Despite finishing third at PGL Bucharest and fifth or sixth at BLAST Rivals Spring 2025, Broky maintained a positive kill/death ratio.

FaZe described the decision as strategic, saying Broky “remains with FaZe as we explore options moving forward.”

Team leader Karrigan described S1mple’s signing as a “Hail Mary” for the Major, with a $1.25 million prize pool in Austin.

FaZe has struggled a lot during the 2025 season and let me remind you of the early exit to Eternal Fire at IEM Katowice as well.

Change is very necessary and s1mple aggressive style and experience might bring out something good in the upcoming tournaments.

However, many fans still doubt this move and wonder how the legend is going to perform after a 5-month hiatus and whether he will shine or not.

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