The transfer of Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev to FaZe Clan has shaken the Counter-Strike world. After transferring broky to the bench, the organization not only signed a new sniper, but seemed to bet on the biggest name in CS history. And while FaZe is preparing for IEM Dallas and Austin Major, the community has already exploded with reactions ranging from adoration to cautious skepticism.

FaZe go all-in

FaZe themselves announced the transfer in their usual style - pompously, with a visual that immediately turned into a meme. s1mple, who last appeared on the server while playing for the Falcons, is returning to the big game. And he's making a big comeback. In a short tweet with an emoji, he made it clear that he's here, and he's not joking.

Commentators are delighted: “the chance of a lifetime”

Janko “YNk” Paunovic was among the first to react:

FaZe with the ALL IN! And the best chance yet for s1mple in CS2. If karrigan makes this work, it will be his masterpiece.

Janko “YNk” Paunovic 

Mauisnake called the transfer an “aura upgrade” and noted that FaZe are content champions.

Jacob “Pimp” Winneche summarized the situation:

“Do or die time for FaZe, do or die time for s1mple”.

Legends of the scene - waiting for a miracle

Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund shared a video of the chef, hinting that something really tasty is being prepared.

Thorin, who urged FaZe to sign s1mple back in 2024, was happy to add his support:

“We used to pray for times like these!”

Adam Hawthorne reminded how s1mple had already stood for the team at the major last time and won it.

Karrigan about broky: “The hardest kick of my career”

IGL FaZe Finn “karrigan” Andersen honestly admitted that benching broky was the most difficult decision for him:

It's not his fault. We all failed. But we had to take the risk.

Finn “karrigan” Andersen

rain said a heartfelt goodbye to his teammate:

“Watching you grow up from the little kid from fpl to the man and player.”

Farewell scene with broky

ropz posted a picture of the “Three Musketeers” with himself, broky and twistzz - a hint of the end of the FaZe era.

m0NESY, the new Falcons star, simply wrote: “s1 is back”.

kennyS admitted that he felt sorry for broky, but s1mple, in his words, “deserved this opportunity.”

The audience is divided into camps: degster vs s1mple?

voo joked that he thought FaZe would sign degster, but they definitely can't be called boring.

Other fans also suggest that s1mple is just a temporary replacement, and that the long-term goal is to get degster. Someone even noted that “cutting the tail won't help if the head is rotting” - a hint of deeper problems in FaZe.

The return of s1mple + EliGE: a second chance for Liquid 2016?

At FaZe, s1mple reunites with EliGE, a former Liquid teammate. In 2016, they reached the final of the major together, but failed to win it. Will they succeed this time?

Conclusion: the risk that made CS2 interesting again

FaZe are not just trying to change the player, they are changing the energy of the lineup. And although analysts' comments are full of doubts about the long-term effectiveness, no one can deny one thing:

the return of s1mple is an event that brings emotions back to Counter-Strike.