Can FURIA Carry Brazil At BLAST?
With the BLAST Premier Global Final right around the corner, FURIA Esports has a lot to prove. While the battle between Europe and North America has been going on for years now, South America has been hiding from the media. FURIA is still leading the pack in Brazil but has begun to struggle within international events. Brazil is also known for MiBR and Team oNe, but FURIA has the upper hand when it comes to competing.
Multiple players have been released from the organisation within the past couple of months meaning new faces are joining the team. The addition of two amateur players became official following the release of Henrique "HEN1" Teles back in January of this year. It looks like these new arrivals have a lot of hard work ahead of them.
JUNIOR JOINS FURIA
FURIA recently picked up Paytyn "Junior" Johnson making him the only American player on the team. The twenty-year-old AWPer made a name for himself with Triumph before signing with the legendary Brazilian lineup. Junior won four events last year, which led to his likeable reputation from the Tier 1 scene.
He placed first in the ESEA Premier Division Finals but had weaker results at DreamHack, ESL, and BLAST. For an amateur player, he made some impressive plays and definitely managed to hang with the pros. His AWPing skills are out of this world, meaning he’ll be the perfect fit for FURIA. Besides, it’s about time that FURIA put together a new roster for their 2021 season.
HONDA RECEIVES A PROMOTION
The final addition to the team came all the way from FURIA academy. Lucas "honda" Honda has proved himself worthy of competing with the best meaning he’ll play with the main roster. Honda has very little experience in Tier-1 competition, which is why his position at the BLAST Finals has brought up some discussions.
He made his debut last year with DETONA Pound playing in a handful of C-Tier events. His track record in competing lacks achievements, but FURIA has made the final call. Honda still has a lot to learn, which is why his spot at the BLAST Finals is concerning.
COMPARING THE TWO AWPERS
Based on previous placements, it’s not clear as to why honda was chosen over junior. If it wasn’t visa issues, then maybe FURIA saw a lot of potential in the ex-DETONA Pound rookie. Honda has been on both the top and the bottom of his team, making his playstyle unpredictable.
Junior, on the other hand, often keeps a steady sight with the AWP making his shot impeccable. Playing at an event such as BLAST could’ve been life-changing for Junior due to his experience with Triumph. Same thing goes for honda except this time he’ll have a chance to compete outside of C-Tier events.
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FURIA VS G2
In the upper bracket quarterfinals, FURIA will be facing off against the one and only G2 Esports. A team that has been dominant from the beginning of their alliance with fan favourite Nikola "NiKo" Kovac. Most people have their bets on G2, but that shouldn't take away from FURIA’s previous results at BLAST.
FURIA had multiple top-three BLAST placements in 2020 including the Spring American Showdown. G2 has had their fair share of success but fell short back in June of 2020 at the BLAST European Finals. They finished in fifth-place behind NAVI after losing in overtime. Hopefully, they can bounce back by beating FURIA’s latest roster including their young buck AWPer.
Click to enlargePREVIOUS EVENTS
Despite roster changes, budget cuts, and a lack of sponsors, FURIA has managed to stay on top of things in Brazil. They had multiple first-place finishes in 2020 and managed to pull some strings before BLAST. The only notable European team that FURIA played against last year was NAVI.
Unlike their success in North America, FURIA lost 0-2 against NAVI at BLAST Premier Fall. Before that, they beat out Team Liquid at the BLAST Showdown and 100 Thieves at IEM New York. Maybe FURIA will be able to pull through at the BLAST Finals and put G2 in their place.
WEAK POINTS
One of the biggest concerns behind FURIA’s potential loss against G2 is the consequences for Brazilian players. Team oNe is considered the second-best team in Brazil but hasn’t played in an S-Tier event since 2018. If FURIA falls behind, who will replace them and when? Brazilian players will be left in the dust and forced to play alongside North American orgs.
Junior and honda could be the final stepping stone for FURIA and make their dreams to be the best in the world reality. On condition that FURIA is able to beat out fan favourites G2 and earn a top-three finish, Brazil will have more opportunities to form Tier-1 teams.
If FURIA is successful in their path to victory, they might be able to put their hometown back into competition. When it comes to competitive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), always expect the unexpected.
Images via FURIA Esports
