Things Keep Getting Worse For FaZe Dubs

FaZe Dubs has apparently kicked up another controversy, this time due to allegedly cheating in Fortnite. According to a report from Dexerto, the young streamer has been accused of partnering with another player during a recent Fortnite Solo Cash Cup. This is strictly against the rules as laid out by the Fortnite Champion Series, so these rules are generally extended to other in-game competitive events like Solo Cash Cups.

During the Solo Cash Cup in question, FaZe Dubs and fellow competitor Waffles consistently dropped into the same area at the beginning of matches. Then, they apparently made a point to attack all players except for one another. It became apparent to many people watching the match that the two seemed to have colluded with one another in an attempt to raise their rankings. 

Though Dubs placed at 7th at Waffles placed at 8th in the May 1 Solo Cash Cup, it appears that the allegations may have affected their standing already. According to fan news account The Fortnite Guy, Waffles' and Dubs' scores appear to have been removed from the Cash Cup leaderboards, leaving their futures in competitive play seemingly up in the air.

According to Dexerto's Andrew Amos, "It isn't the first time Waffles has been reprimanded for teaming at Rig with someone. In practice scrim servers, Waffles has previously been handed suspensions for teaming with various other players."

Fortnite fans and pro players on Twitter have expressed their outrage over the situation, with many calling for swift repercussions. Team Continue's Biv tweeted, "Dubs should get dropped from @FaZeClan and they should both get banned from competing, splitting drops is cheating idc what any pro has to say, that [expletive] is so scummy."

One fan expressed that they were positive that Dubs was guilty, mainly because he hadn't yet responded to the allegations. "Even if the proof isn't 100% concrete. I know that if I got accused of cheating I'd want to get a statement out, or proof that I didn't cheat as soon as," they tweeted. "Dubs hasn't even attempted to prove his innocence."

This is only the most recent example of players teaming up like this during competitive events, despite Epic's very clear rules against such strategies. Back in March, four professional players were caught teaming during the Fortnite Champion Series. The duo of Slackes and Keys and the duo of Kreo and Bucke were accused of colluding with each other to secure their places in the Champion Series. The plan initially worked, leading to Slackes and Keys taking first place and Kreo/Bucke coming in second. 

Considering the Champion Series' staggering $5 million prize pool this year, Epic Games didn't take this kind of cheating lightly. The offending teams were slapped with 60-day bans, which some people didn't even believe was a fitting punishment given the circumstances. 

It seems like it's always a bit difficult for Epic to quantify an appropriate punishment for players who cheat when money is on the line. However, the official rules for the Fortnite Champion Series are pretty cut and dried on this point: "Players may not work together to deceive or otherwise cheat other players during any match. Examples of Collusion include ... Players working together during the match while on opposing teams."

FaZe Dubs has proven to be a rather controversial figure in the Fortnite community, and not just for unsportsmanlike conduct. Earlier this year, FaZe Dubs came under fire for using a racial slur during a live stream. The backlash was almost immediate, with fans calling for Dubs to be banned. Dubs issued an apology, telling fans, "I can't even describe how sorry I am. I did not intend to be hurtful in any way but what I said was still hurtful, insensitive, and wrong. The word shouldn't have been in my vocabulary and I apologize from the bottom my heart to everyone I offended by using it."

Shortly after the incident, FaZe Clan released a statement on Twitter telling fans that FaZe Dubs had been suspended for his actions. FaZe Clan further explained, "FaZe Clan will not tolerate any form of hate speech ... Due to his actions, we are requiring Dubs to go through sensitivity training and proactively requiring all FaZe Clan members to go through sensitivity training immediately."

In other words, FaZe Clan seemed to understand that Dubs was not only making himself look bad, but the whole team. It's unclear how FaZe Clan will react to these cheating allegations, but something tells us we won't have to wait long.