FaZe Clan has secured the services of Oleksandr Kostyliev (s1mple) from Natus Vincere on a loan arrangement. The Counter-Strike 2 superstar will be stepping in to replace Helvijs Saukants (broky), who has been moved to the bench following underwhelming performances during the early months of 2025. Kostyliev’s stint with FaZe is scheduled to last until the conclusion of the Austin Major taking place next month.
This move marks Kostyliev’s return to competitive CS2 action after being absent since the Shanghai Major’s Europe RMR last November. During that tournament, he competed for Team Falcons also on a loan basis, but the team’s failure to qualify for the Major brought his participation to a premature end. Prior to that appearance, Team Falcons had already secured Kostyliev’s services temporarily for the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown in 2024.
The Ukrainian player’s contract with NAVI is set to expire at the end of this year, despite not having been part of the organization’s starting lineup since late 2023 when he took a hiatus from competitive play.
FaZe Seeks to Boost Tournament Performance
With this temporary roster adjustment, Kostyliev will reunite with former teammate Jonathan Jablonowski (EliGE), with whom he played on Team Liquid back in 2016. FaZe Clan has struggled to contend for championships thus far in 2025, managing only two top-four finishes at PGL Cluj-Napoca and PGL Bucharest. In their most recent tournament appearance at BLAST Rivals, the team suffered an immediate elimination in the quarterfinals at the hands of MOUZ.
Current FaZe player Finn Andersen (karrigan) publicly welcomed Kostyliev with a message on X, expressing that this represents a unique opportunity and he looks forward to playing alongside the GOAT at the major. Andersen emphasized that this move demonstrates their all-in approach to winning the trophy at the major, and despite Kostyliev being only a temporary stand-in, he believes they can achieve victory.
The announcement has generated excitement throughout the competitive CS2 community, with broadcast analyst Jacob Winneche (Pimp) and Team Spirit player Danil Kryshkovets (donk) among those expressing enthusiasm about the move. Fans won’t have to wait long to see Kostyliev in action for FaZe, as he is scheduled to make his debut at the upcoming IEM Dallas, which begins on May 19th.