Heroic and FaZe set to square off for a sensational start to the Major playoffs

The team who refuse to lose versus the team who only know how to win. The unstoppable force versus the immovable object.

And a sensational start to the playoffs.

Heroic have been consistently in everybody's top two teams for the better part of a year now, and there appears to be no signs of them slowing down. If anyone can stop them, though, it's the team who have no fear about being behind, for they know they can always come back.

FaZe have shown time and time again that until the game is over, the scoreline makes no difference to them. Deficits against Bad News Eagles and NAVI were when FaZe levelled up - but conventional wisdom might suggest that you can't get away with that against Heroic.

Michal Konkol

ropz can't even explain how they keep getting away with it.

"We found a new gear somehow, I don't know how, it's quite amazing whenever that happens. Overall when we do those kinds of comebacks they light a fire inside the team so it definitely helps in future games as well because of the confidence. To see that every time you played bad you still bounced back and played the best CS you were capable of is assuring."

Still, if they do manage to win... well, we'll let ropz tell you.

"If we can win it in this way it will probably be the most insane Major run in history."

This game promises to be special.

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Just ask Jabbi, who spoke to BLAST.tv about the upcoming quarter-final.

"I think it will be a close game when it's a stage game, they have some really experienced players and they thrive a lot more in the environment. Not more than us, but more than they do in the venue environment I would say."

Though that part was diplomatic, he assertively confirmed that his team were confident going into the game, suggesting that FaZe "haven't been the best since they won Pro League".

We believe he meant the best in the world, but it could have been some fighting talk.

ropz, as one might imagine, believes the game is much closer.

"Obviously Heroic and Vitality are the favourites now for the Major, I think we are going into this matchup as an underdog if you look at it on paper. In reality I think it's going to be more 50/50 definitely."

Michal Konkol

The stage has often been an enemy of Heroic - or so it seems - but Jabbi doesn't agree that the stage has been an issue, and instead believes that Heroic are as good on the stage as off it.

"I don't think it changes us, really. We still have the same energy and we really get something from the fans, and, yeah. If we can do it twice in Brazil against FURIA when there's like ten thousand people screaming at you then I think we thrive in the stage environment. It's just getting the last percentages to take it all the way."

For FaZe, it's pretty clear how comfortable they are on stage, not least in a Major. They've been here, won it and got the medals to prove it.

ropz told BLAST.tv: "I feel like we're going to be fired up for the playoffs and we're gonna feel good in the arena."

Michal Konkol

Jabbi, though, feels like it might be their time.

"Obviously we make it far in pretty much every tournament and it always feels like when you come into the tournament as number one in the world and you go 3-0, not really any big mistakes, it gives a lot of confidence."

Who has more confidence? The team who has never lost, or the team who keeps coming back from the brink, and feels like they might never lose?

We suppose the answer might be found out tomorrow.

The winner of this game takes on the winner of Monte vs GamerLegion, which both sound like very winnable games for a team of the calibre that we see here - but Jabbi doesn't think it's as simple as it sounds.

"If you go this far you deserve to go this far. You don't go to the top 8 of the Major if you don't win against any good teams and, I mean, they have also been playing good and CS nowadays is just so... everyone is really good, there's no team like Astralis that just wins everything because everyone is grinding, they know how to play CS, and there's so many different ways now of doing stuff."

Michal Konkol

ropz still sees the underdogs, though, as just that. He told us that "you're not going to be favoured" if you come up against Heroic or FaZe, before he explained how he felt he could handle them.

"I think we lost a few BO1s most notably against ITB but overall we've been handling underdogs quite well so far. I think it also comes down to not underestimating anyone, we'll do our usual prep and make sure we're covered at all corners."

The winner of this match-up will undoubtedly be seen as a big favourite to at least make the final - and ropz is allowing himself to dream of that world.

"Winning the second Major would just satisfy me more, some people grinded years and years to get their first Major, some people grind less and have gotten it on their first try.

Michal Konkol

"I played around five years of professional play to get my first Major, if I've played the game that long and end up winning more than one that will make me really proud and satisfied that all work has paid off. That's what motivates me, there's still a chance to win another one, as long as we're in it we'll do our best."

Jabbi though couldn't find the words to figure out what it would mean; perhaps because he hasn't felt it yet.

"I don't think words can express how it would feel."

Whatever happens today, you better not miss it. Don't move from your seat, and catch every minute.

It's going to be wild.