After missing the IEM Cologne 2026 Major, FaZe’s season seemed effectively over, but following the departure of Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen, FaZe now has to prioritize a new objective.
While the roster’s ostensible objective for IEM Atlanta 2026 and Stake Ranked Episode 2 may be to grow their own game and to secure VRS points to earn invites next season, the organization’s main goal should be convincing David ‘frozen’ Čerňanský to stay with FaZe.
Instead of any trophy or accolade, FaZe’s competitive future may rest on getting word from frozen that he will continue in the project.
Why does everyone want a piece of frozen?
frozen is now the most desirable bachelor in all of Counter-Strike. As FaZe struggled through 2025, the Slovakian was linked with a move to NAVI, but ultimately FaZe’s Budapest Grand Final run resulted in the team running back the roster in 2026, with disastrous consequences.
NAVI’s coach Andrey ‘B1ad3’ Gorodenskiy told HLTV in February that NAVI were “exploring opportunities” in the offseason, but decided against making changes in favour of maximizing the current roster’s potential.
As they say, it takes two to tango. All we know for certain is that no deal was reached. While frozen’s prior link to NAVI seemingly remains a possibility, frozen by no means is limited to FaZe or NAVI.
Effectively, every team, barring Vitality, would benefit from having the roster frozen, as the Slovakian has shone both in star roles and in the anchor spots where he made his name on MOUZ.
That versatility makes frozen a somewhat one-size-fits-all solution to those looking for more firepower in any position, making him one of the most desirable pieces in Tier 1 Counter-Strike.
What does FaZe have to do to keep frozen?
Counter-Strike layers make decisions on roster moves for a variety of reasons, often prioritizing personal comfort and team chemistry, aspects that we cannot measure from the outside.
However, one obvious metric that we can look at is the success or the potential of the project that they are currently in.
For frozen and FaZe, the question of the roster’s potential relies on at least three of FaZe’s pieces working, so that the core of three players can be worked into something new next season.
In that regard, FaZe certainly got off to a great start at BLAST Rivals Fort Worth. A 3rd/4th place finish in the team’s first showing since karrigan’s departure was an unexpectedly positive finish for FaZe.
FaZe defeated FURIA to advance to the playoffs, before taking a scintillating series against G2 that oozed ‘FaZe DNA’ as frozen and Twistzz combined at 10-12 down in a 2v5 retake on Mirage to keep FaZe alive in the series.
While the results were sandwiched between two losses to NAVI, the tournament was much more positive than expected, as FaZe had not only lost a piece but the defining part of FaZe’s roster when karrigan left.
The Dane had effectively built FaZe in his image from 2021 onwards, only seemingly losing control of management decisions late in his tenure.
‘FaZe DNA’ seemed to specifically refer to karrigan’s own style of chaotic mid-round calling, but what remains true is that FaZe still have explosivity latent in their firepower, with frozen, Twistzz, and Helvijs ‘broky’ Saukants still there.
With karrigan out, instead of a crisis of identity, they may be able to find a new path to a more sustainable level while still having a more refined X factor.
The job that enkay J and Twistzz now have is to create that baseline of performance, so this exact version of FaZe can look like a springboard for better things.
The main issue with that narrative is that frozen was the singular FaZe player to average above a 1.00 HLTV rating at BLAST Rivals Fort Worth.
For broky, Twistzz, and Jakub ‘jcobbb’ Pietruszewski, that must change in FaZe want to convince frozen to stay and potentially create a small win from what has been a nightmare season.
Do you think frozen will or should stay in FaZe? Let us know on our Discord!
For more Counter-Strike news, see our IEM Atlanta 2026 Tournament Guide.
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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