There’s just too many storylines for this one, but we’ll try and break it down. Ropz has been in EVERY CS2 Major final, FaZe have been in 4 finals themselves, and Vitality have never lost one. Defending champions vs frequent finalists. So many agendas and narratives hang in the balance, and despite the bracket not looking how we’d expected it to (in our ruined Pick’Ems), this might be the most exciting final we could’ve gotten.

Vitality are looking seriously sharp, oozing star power. Even if apEX has been a little slow off the mark, he doesn’t need to do anything spectacular when your other pieces are cooking. mezii in particular has been phenomenal.

FaZe - we don’t know how you do it - but we don’t need to. Podcast listeners will know our thoughts on karrigan, but we are well and truly sat right now. The Nuke against NAVI was pure, old school, FaZe comeback slop - and we are not full yet. It pains us to give props to a North American but Twistzz really is one of the best players in the world, and he’s dragged FaZe kicking and screaming (or wee-wooing) into another final.

The first Major BO5 will be a barn burner we’re certain. Did you know FaZe have never lost to Vitality in Major playoffs? Luckily for Vitality, FaZe don’t play Train, so their sh-tty performances on the map will be excused from the final (unless we get some freaky veto). Inversely, Ancient is the insta-ban of Vitality, which isn’t all that bad, seeing as it’s FaZe’s worst map right now. We’d like to see Nuke, Mirage and Inferno in the first three maps, but it’s reasonable to assume we’ll go the distance in this series. Not because we think FaZe should be beating Vitality, but because the bullsh-t says so. We just love Counter-Strike too, and this is all we’ll have until Kraków.

Whoever takes the crown tomorrow, we can’t say it’s undeserved. Vitality could finally beat a real opponent in a Major final. Karrigan could re-cement himself as the GOAT IGL if he can win with jcobbb. Twistzz could add another really expensive Labubu to his bag too! Whatever the result, we’re hoping for good, scrappy, back and forth CS, the kind of stuff we love the Majors for.