Spirit defeat FaZe 2-1 to win Shanghai Major

donk and magixx shined as the Russian team added another trophy to their cabinet.

Spirit have won the Perfect World Shanghai Major after beating FaZe 2-1 in the grand final. It’s the fourth title of the year for the Russian team, who ended the year just as they started it in Katowice — by lifting a trophy after taking down FaZe in the final with a spectacular performance from Danil “⁠donk⁠” Kryshkovets.

Without surprise, the 17-year-old phenom was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Spirit’s star, who averaged a 1.49 rating in Shangai, became the youngest-ever Major winner and MVP holder, eclipsing the record set by Markus “⁠Kjaerbye⁠” Kjærbye in 2017.

Unlike in Katowice, it wasn’t Dmitry “⁠sh1ro⁠” Sokolov who alleviated some of the weight off donk’s shoulders but Boris “⁠magixx⁠” Vorobiev, who produced one of the most dominant performances of his career to power Spirit to a hard-fought win. The decider map came down to just one round, but Spirit were still the better team for most of the contest.

“I dreamt of winning this event for many years,” in-game leader Leonid “⁠chopper⁠” Vishnyakov said after the match. “This was the goal of my life, to prove myself. I’m grateful to the team, for how they carried and what they did. To the org and everyone around — I’m incredibly grateful to them. Thanks to all the fans.

“And also my wife. Without her, none of this would have happened. And this trophy, this result… This one is for you, Larisa.”

FaZe’s dream playoff run ended in heartbreaking fashion, but they should still be credited for the incredible mental fortitude displayed on stage in Shanghai. They recovered from a slow start to the series and nearly pulled off a comeback for the ages on the final map with some moments of pure magic.

The future of FaZe’s roster looks unclear, but Finn “⁠karrigan⁠” Andersen dropped a strong hint that he is not considering retirement. “We once again finished second in the Major but there will be more chances,” he wrote on X.

It took only two rounds for donk to make his presence felt. The 17-year-old picked up three frags with a Desert Eagle in a second-round eco, taking the winds out of FaZe’s sails after their pistol win.

Spirit rode that momentum to a 4-1 lead as it took FaZe a while to stabilize their economy. Håvard “⁠rain⁠” Nygaard and Robin “⁠ropz⁠” Kool came alive for FaZe to spearhead their recovery, but Spirit still managed to end the half with the lead thanks to great output not just from donk, but also magixx (16 frags) and chopper (four multi-kills).

donk came up clutch in the second pistol in a 1v2 situation, catapulting the Russian team to a 10-5 lead. FaZe still tried to fight back, but every round they won was instantly traded back by their opponents, their A setup proving too leaky as Spirit comfortably secured the map.

donk added to his highlight reel on Ancient when he picked up a spectacular ace in the fourth round to put Spirit on the board. He and magixx were able to carry their stunning form from Nuke into the map, but the first half was still controlled by FaZe, who managed to secure eight rounds on the defense.

magixx won a 1v1 in the ensuing pistol round to give Spirit a lifeline, but their respite proved fleeting. The complexion of the game changed as soon as FaZe had money to work with as the international team went on a quick 5-0 run to lock down the map.

donk continued his reign of terror on Dust2 in a one-sided first half. He racked up 18 kills, won four of his five opening duel attempts and averaged 140 damage per round as Spirit cruised to an 8-4 lead, with three of FaZe’s rounds coming in the dying stages of the half.

Spirit refused to let up the pressure and reached series at 12-5. FaZe slowly began to chip away at the deficit and took the fight to their opponents with an effective double AWP setup. Many certainly thought that overtime was on the cards after a jaw-dropping 2v4 retake in the 23rd round, but Spirit kept their cool in the end and put the game past their opponents with a 3v3 post-plant on the B site in the final round in a 1v2 from sh1ro.