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FaZe Clan has made another big move in their Counter-Strike roster, announcing that Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski has been shifted to the bench. The American rifler, who joined earlier this year, remains under contract with the organisation while they figure out their next steps.

EliGE’s time with FaZe wasn’t exactly a failure on paper, he put up a solid 1.11 rating during his run. But despite his numbers, FaZe just couldn’t recapture the free-flowing and unpredictable style that once made them one of Counter-Strike’s most feared lineups. Their best results together were a third-place finish at PGL Bucharest and a quarter-final appearance at the Austin Major.

Warning signs appeared back in March, when EliGE himself admitted that the team had “expected to be further along than we are.” Replacing Robin “ropz” Kool, a more passive star, with EliGE’s aggressive style proved harder to balance than FaZe may have anticipated.

By May, the cracks widened with the shock benching of Helvijs “broky” Saukants. That shuffle even saw Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev briefly stand in, before the Latvian sharpshooter returned to the lineup.

The post-summer stretch didn’t do FaZe any favours either. Early exits at IEM Cologne, BLAST Bounty, and EWC left the team looking like a shadow of their former selves. Those results ultimately pushed management to make another tough call, leaving EliGE on the sidelines.

FaZe’s in-game leader Finn “karrigan” Andersen also shared some words after the news broke.

For now, FaZe’s active roster looks like this:

  • Finn “karrigan” Andersen
  • Håvard “rain” Nygaard
  • David “frozen” Čerňanský
  • Helvijs “broky” Saukants
  • Filip “NEO” Kubski (coach)

With EliGE benched, all eyes are on what FaZe will do next. The organisation has never been afraid to make bold moves, and with their recent track record, another shake-up might just be around the corner.