Things have been rough for FURIA for a while now.
They’ve gone from a team that was consistently making the Major playoffs to a team that was eliminated with a 0-3 record in the Legends Stage of the last two Majors.
To make matters worse, they struggled to even make it to the Legends Stage (sorry, the Elimination Stage) at the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.
Difficulties at Majors aren’t isolated incidents, either.
They failed to make it out of the Play-in stage for both IEM Katowices in the past year and IEM Cologne.
They may have won Elisa Masters Espoo 2023 in between a few of these events, but that is just one shred of glory for a team that is expected to experience much, much more.
The signing of FalleN from Imperial was supposed to help these situations and aid FURIA in adapting their playstyle from something that was becoming increasingly ineffective. But as arT took back the reins of the team from the godfather of Brazilian CS, that move resulted in being nothing more than an outlay.
With arT now gone from the team, and his temporary replacement kye struggling in many of their games at ESL Pro League Season 19, FURIA might need changes.
If not, as many experts have predicted, they risk the case of losing their franchise player KSCERATO - and that would be an irreversible disaster.
So with that in mind, what do they do to improve?
They already lack a full team, but will finding a new fifth member even fix all of their problems?
If, like many other people, you think it won’t, which players should they look towards if they decide to rebuild their roster?
There’s plenty of talent within Brazil, but most of the other teams have managed to hold onto their relevancy through some absolutely top-tier scouting work.
While that does mean that any potential rebuild FURIA may do with the aim to catapult themselves back to the top could be pricey, it also means that they already have a decent knowledge of what they may be buying.
If FURIA are to go with a rebuild, they should do so with the aim of building a Brazilian superteam, so who should they sign?
With FURIA somewhat between in-game leaders, there’s no better place to start than at the top.
FalleN is one of the greatest IGLs in the history of Counter-Strike and has an impressive list of achievements, but is he the right man for the job with this team?
If FURIA trusted FalleN to lead, why would they have ever allowed arT to retake the role of IGL from him?
Of course, this is all speculation, and it could have been more to do with the hold arT had on the team or his relationship with guerri, but fans and experts are starting to speculate.
Fortunately, FalleN isn’t the only IGL in Brazil.
biguzera only became an IGL in the last 18 months, but he has already built an impressive track record. He has guided his paiN team to two Majors and an ESL Pro League playoffs, all while seeing huge changes to his roster.
An even bigger bonus of having biguzera on the team is the fragging potential he brings.
biguzera is the type of IGL who takes up CT positions traditionally reserved for stars; however, unlike many other IGLs who do the same, he also manages to frag like a star player.
In 2024, biguzera has a 1.14 HLTV rating, and even more impressively, this rises to 1.24 against top-ten opponents.
This is exactly the type of player FURIA could be looking for, and given that he can do this while IGLing to a high standard, his presence could be invaluable.
If biguzera is going to take over the role of IGL, who should wield the big green?
There’s no doubt that FalleN’s impact is reduced without the captaincy, but could he still offer enough on Counter-Strike’s most important weapon?
In 2024, FalleN has a 1.06 HLTV rating. This is nothing to boast about, but given that FURIA have been struggling this year, it isn’t overly poor either.
There is some cause for concern with his ratings though, that being that his average rating falls to 1.00 against top ten teams and even further to 0.74 against top five teams.
This is the kind of drop-off that could cause difficulties if FURIA hopes to return to consistent playoff contention.
So what about the other AWPers from Brazil?
First, let’s look at biguzera’s paiN teammate, nqz.
nqz burst onto the scene as part of the 9z lineup that impressed at the IEM Rio Major 2022, but he fell off the radar slightly after he moved to 00NATION.
Now a part of paiN, nqz is firmly back in the public eye after a strong PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 campaign.
Still a relatively inexperienced player, nqz has limited elite-level experience outside of his Major and ESL Pro League appearances. Despite this, he is one of the most impressive AWPers in Brazil on the domestic level.
nqz’s 1.12 HLTV rating is higher than FalleN’s, however, he has no matches against top-five opponents in 2024.
In his games against top-ten opponents, this drops to 0.99, and against top 30, it drops to 1.04.
These drops could be easily explained by paiN’s lower status and level of players compared to teams of that stature, or even nqz’s inexperience, but it is something worth noting.
Another option would be Imperial’s HEN1, a man who is no stranger to both elite-level CS and FURIA themselves, thanks to his time on the team between 2019 and 2021.
HEN1 is one of the most experienced players in Brazil and his 1.12 HLTV rating in 2024 is equal to nqz’s, he also sees similar drop-offs when facing higher-level opposition too.
Despite these drop-offs, HEN1’s experience level could be vital compared to nqz.
Not just that, but HEN1 has a maverick quality his younger counterpart simply doesn’t have. On his day, HEN1 is utterly unstoppable, and the shots he can hit on those days are seemingly impossible. If that is a level he can tap into again if reinstated to Brazil’s premier team, he could turn FURIA into contenders on his own.
In truth, any one of these AWPers would be suitable for a new look FURIA team. FalleN is a dependable option, HEN1 could be a catalyst for success, and nqz could become the best of all three. Any one of the three could help FURIA in the future, they just need to decide what they need out of their AWPer.
So far, we’ve only spoken about potential newcomers to FURIA, but what about players who should stay?
chelo came to the team with a reasonable reputation, but he’s struggled a bit since the move. Of course, some of that could have been down to his similarities with arT, but his 0.92 HLTV rating at ESL Pro League without arT is under par. That doesn’t mean keeping him would be a mistake, but let's theorycraft a bit.
The same can not be said for the two remaining OGs on FURIA.
KSCERATO is their franchise player and is often considered the best player in Brazil. FURIA without him is unimaginable, and if they can turn their current fortunes around, he will continue to be their key player.
The same can be said for yuurih. Often regarded as the sidekick when spoken about next to KSCERATO, that way of viewing yuurih is an injustice.
A phenomenal player of his own regard, he may have struggled along with the rest of his team at certain points, but he is once again proving he is more than deserving of his place on this team.
So with those two decided, who takes the last spot on the team?
Finding a solid fifth player isn’t as easy as it seems. Even if we disregard chelo as an option, like with the AWP slot, there are three potentials for the role.
First off, we have decenty, a player who was rather unknown at the start of 2024 but shone for Imperial at the first CS2 Major.
He may be raw in some aspects, but given his experience relative to the levels he’s played at and the performances he put in, his potential is sky-high.
The second option is another player who shone during the Copenhagen Major, Legacy’s latto. latto is a player who has been a known quantity for a while, although he has hit a new stride in 2024. Previously, it seemed like he might never be ready for a team of this calibre, but now it might be his time to shine.
Finally, for a more left-field option, we have SAW’s arrozdoce. Like, decenty, not much was known about arrozdoce at the start of the year, but he has been a breakout star as SAW has risen up the rankings in 2024.
He’s an exceptional player and would perfectly fit the anchor role this team needs. However, his more passive nature may make him less of a good fit on the T side.
Just as with the AWPer role, any one of these players is a solid option for a fifth player. decenty is the most raw, but like nqz, his potential could be exceptionally high. As for latto and arrozdoce, their ratings are very similar, and both players have the potential to pull off rounds that can turn a game on its head.
The question of adaptation with arrozdoce is a big one, but adaptation is necessary whenever a new team comes together, the bigger question is whether that adaptation results in success.
FURIA is an organisation whose reputation demands success. Change can be difficult, and whatever change they make needs to be given the time to work, but whatever happens, one thing is clear: FURIA need to find solutions to their issues as soon as possible.
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