FaZe and ECSTATIC will kick off their journey at BLAST Open London 2025 with an intriguing clash where the favorites may look vulnerable and the underdogs will try to prove their strength. FaZe come into the match with shaky form, while ECSTATIC have gained momentum after recent successes. Who will prevail in the opening battle — experience or ambition?
Current Form of the Teams
ECSTATIC continue to compete actively across multiple tournaments, maintaining a high tempo of play. Over the past three months, the team has played 46 maps, winning 25 of them. In the last month, they secured an important trophy at RES Showdown 2: BLAST Premier Rising Event, confirming their potential on the big stage. At the same time, their results at other events were less impressive: 17–32nd place at BLAST Bounty 2025 Season 2, 5–8th place in the European qualifiers for CS Asia Championships and StarLadder StarSeries, as well as 5–8th place at Exort The Proving Grounds Season 3. In their last five matches, ECSTATIC claimed three victories (against HOTU, JiJieHao, and TNL), but lost to BetBoom and PARIVISION.
FaZe are in mixed form at the moment. Over the past three months, they have played 37 maps, winning 21 of them. However, their results at major tournaments indicate a slight decline: 7–8th place at IEM Cologne 2025, 9–16th at BLAST Bounty Finals and Esports World Cup 2025. In their last five matches, FaZe managed only two wins (over BetBoom and Aurora), while suffering three defeats — against Aurora (twice) and Virtus.pro. This reflects the team’s instability, especially when facing disciplined opponents.
Map Pool
The veto process in a bo3 usually starts with bans, and here both teams have clear tendencies.
First ban:
- ECSTATIC usually remove Mirage, while FaZe tend to ban Train.
Picks:
- ECSTATIC may opt for Inferno, where they have a 71% win rate, or Train if it’s available. Considering FaZe’s style, Inferno looks the most likely choice.
- FaZe, in turn, are likely to go for Ancient, their strongest map with an 89% win rate.
Second ban:
- ECSTATIC will probably remove Ancient to minimize FaZe’s chances of an easy win. FaZe could ban Nuke, a map ECSTATIC like to play despite their low success rate on it.
Decider:
- That would leave Dust2 or Overpass. Since FaZe occasionally play Dust2 and have solid experience there, it’s most likely that Dust2 will be the decider.
Expected map pool:
- ECSTATIC ban: Mirage
- FaZe ban: Train
- ECSTATIC pick: Inferno
- FaZe pick: Ancient
- Second bans: ECSTATIC — Ancient / FaZe — Nuke
- Decider: Dust2
Head-to-Head
In the past six months, FaZe and ECSTATIC have not faced each other. This means both teams will approach the match without direct head-to-head statistics, and preparation from the coaching staff as well as the ability to read the opponent will play a crucial role.
Match Prediction
Despite their recent struggles, FaZe remain the favorites thanks to the individual skill of their players and the strength of their Ancient. However, ECSTATIC are in good form, especially after winning RES Showdown 2, and can certainly contest their pick on Inferno. If the match goes to Dust2, FaZe’s greater experience might be the deciding factor.
Prediction: FaZe win 2:1, though ECSTATIC are capable of taking their own pick and making things tense for the favorites.
