Vitality secured victory in the BLAST Premier Fall Final by defeating FaZe with a convincing 2-0 in the tournament decider at the Royal Arena.<\/p>\n
This marked a remarkable debut for William “mezii” Merriman, who celebrated his first Counter-Strike<\/a> trophy.<\/p>\n Despite FaZe aiming to extend their 18-match winning streak and clinch their fourth consecutive trophy, they delivered an uninspired performance, particularly on Vertigo, where Vitality dominated from the start.<\/p>\n Nuke saw a closer contest, but FaZe’s critical mistake at 11-11 proved costly.<\/p>\n Dan “apEX” Madesclaire expressed his pride in the team’s performance, emphasizing the intense collective effort in practice and individual skills.<\/p>\n The French tactician also highlighted Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut’s exceptional performance, earning him his 17th MVP award with a tournament-high 1.35 rating.<\/p>\n The series began with a surprise Vertigo pick from Vitality, a map they hadn’t played since IEM Cologne 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite the lack of recent experience, Vitality showcased a strong understanding of the map, securing a 9-3 halftime lead.<\/p>\n FaZe struggled to recover, managing only one round on the map as Vitality dominated.<\/p>\n The momentum carried into Nuke, with Vitality taking a 3-0 lead after a clutch from mezii in the pistol round.<\/p>\n FaZe rallied with seven consecutive round wins, led by H\u00e5vard “rain” Nygaard, but Vitality closed the half at 7-5.<\/p>\n The second half featured key clutches from Vitality, including one from Lotan “Spinx” Giladi, securing an 11-9 lead.<\/p>\n Despite FaZe’s attempts at a comeback, Vitality reached series point with a decisive round, ultimately winning the match.<\/p>\n FaZe Clan’s flawless CS2 run came to an end at the hands of a resurgent Vitality roster.<\/p>\n Following a lackluster end to the Global Offensive era, FaZe had dominated CS2’s initial competitions, claiming titles at IEM Sydney<\/a>, the Thunderpick World Championship<\/a>, and the CS Asia Championship<\/a>.<\/p>\n Twistzz’s reported move to Team Liquid raises questions about FaZe’s roster, especially with the impending merger with GameSquare.<\/p>\n Vitality, bolstered by the addition of Mezii, seems to be in top form as they head into the BLAST World Final<\/a> and the first Major in CS2 history in March 2023.<\/p>\n Both Vitality and FaZe, if their core roster survives changes, are expected to be favourites in upcoming events, providing exciting matchups in late-2023 BLAST events and potentially meeting again in a grand final.<\/p>\n Major Winners and now Fall Final Champions<\/p>\n Congratulations to @TeamVitality<\/a> \ud83c\udfc6 #BLASTPremier<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/238IIsDS0T<\/a><\/p>\n — BLAST Premier \ud83d\udca5 (@BLASTPremier) November 26, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n