Broky Returns to FaZe Clan’s Main Roster

On July 9, 2025, the esports organization FaZe Clan officially announced the return of Latvian sniper Helvijs "broky" Saukants to its main roster for Counter-Strike 2. In the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), FaZe described Broky’s return with the phrase: "Reloaded, refreshed, and ready like never before." The player himself accompanied the news with a post featuring an image of Michael Jordan and the caption "I’m back," referencing the famous slogan the basketball player used after his comeback in 1995. Broky posted this right after returning to the roster, emphasizing his readiness to start the next stage of his career.

A few months earlier, on May 5, 2025, the player was moved to a substitute position, making way for Alexander "s1mple" Kostyliev in the starting lineup. S1mple was loaned from NAVI for a short term to compete for FaZe at major tournaments like IEM Dallas 2025 and BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. It was reported that after the Austin Major, the Russian sniper would return to NAVI, and FaZe’s finances couldn’t afford to purchase his transfer. The organization noted that "it’s unlikely the loan of the Ukrainian player will be extended," and experts indicated that making the transfer permanent was not feasible.

Thus, with Broky’s return, FaZe now has the following CS2 lineup for the summer of 2025:

• Håvard “rain” Nygaard (AWP)

• Finn “karrigan” Andersen (IGL)

• David “frozen” Čerňanský (AWP)

• Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski (Rifler)

• Helvijs “broky” Saukants (AWP)

• Filip “NEO” Kubski (coach)

With Broky’s return, the team will continue preparing for IEM Cologne (July 23 – August 3, 2025) in Germany. This will be FaZe's first major LAN tournament since BLAST Austin. According to FaZe, the team is part of the 24 participants in the ESL Pro Tour with a prize pool of $1 million, and Broky will play as a starter alongside his teammates.

Helvijs "broky" Saukants joined FaZe Clan in September 2019. During his time with the organization, he became the first Latvian player in history to win a major – securing victory at PGL Major Antwerp 2022. Broky also won other major tournaments (such as the Fall Showdown BLAST Premier 2024) and has frequently been ranked among the top 20 players of the year by HLTV.

In May 2025, FaZe decided to give a chance to CS legends – Alexander "s1mple" Kostyliev. He took on the role of sniper for FaZe at IEM Dallas and Austin Major, while Broky briefly remained on the bench. However, after the conclusion of BLAST Major, it became clear by early July that a permanent transfer for s1mple to FaZe would not happen. The player himself hinted that he would be looking for a new home by the end of the year, and NAVI still had a contract with him for another six months. On July 9, FaZe officially announced Broky's return to the roster, signaling that the loan of s1mple would not be extended.

At the time of Broky's return, s1mple's exact future was unclear. FaZe representatives had not officially announced whether the agreement with the Ukrainian sniper would be extended or terminated. One of the reports noted: "It’s currently unknown where the Ukrainian sniper will continue his career." However, according to an official press release from NAVI, the sniper will return to the active NAVI roster after Austin Major.

Most Popular Devices at the CS2 Major

Based on the players' statements, the entire situation has been received positively. FaZe concluded the announcement by stating that Broky is "ready like never before," and the player himself accompanied his return with the symbolic quote "I’m back." This highlights the Latvian’s determination and brings back an important asset for FaZe – an experienced AWPer with a successful track record.