Yan “yanxnz” Xisto Nolasco, Gabriel “caard” Vieira Cardoso, and Caio “CaioTG1” Vinicius of FURIA have decided to relocate to North America following one of the most successful seasons ever by a minor region team and unquestionably the best ever by a South American team. Mateus “STL” Santos, manager of FURIA, and Shift met to talk about the change.

According to STL, the group made the move because it would result in “more viewers, a potential land for sponsors, and growing your brand,” which are important factors to take into account when making such a decision for any organization.

The possibility to play in a more crowded server with more queues, more professionalism, and more talent motivated the gamers. On the path to becoming a champion, it fuels your drive to play the game and keep getting better. FURIA demonstrated they had what it took to win last season, and they are eager to demonstrate it once more in a more difficult area.

The reasons for switching continents

FURIA is following True Neutral’s (now Complexity Gaming’s) lead, who made a comparable move in the previous offseason.

Facundo “Shad” Vallerino, Victor “Reysbull” Duran Parra, and Lautaro “ajg” Gusinsky of Complexity Gaming shocked the globe by qualifying for the Fall Major and demonstrating that South America is capable of producing elite teams. Shad has been replaced by Cristian “crr” Fernandez, who the team has imported from Europe. The new team placed third and fourth in Roster Royale on rle.gg.

When asked if True Neutral had any influence on FURIA’s move, STL responded that True Neutral is responsible. It “ignited a light” to see them perform like they did, immediately placing in the top four [in regionals] and top eight in the Major. You believe you are capable, but how can you demonstrate it? They started immediately away, which is difficult. We knew we could do it once we started doing it in Majors.

While living in South America, True Neutral never achieved international success, but they also never had the chance to do so because they were unable to make the World Championship cut in RLCS Season 9 and instead focused on the totally online RLCS X. However, after losing their best team for the last two years in a row, South America may now face difficulties. STL, though, has a different viewpoint.

However, it will be up to the companies behind the rosters to offer the structure, particularly bootcamps for [international] events, according to STL. “South America proved it can be much more than one squad,” he stated. “If not, they’ll continue to go as tourists rather than athletes… We just need to get adjusted to the tempo of the top tier teams because we know how to play [as a region]. Next season, if additional South American teams put in the effort, another club might be just as successful as FURIA.

The Road So Far

In comparison to other South American teams, FURIA has achieved extraordinary success on the world scene. They were one of just two minor area teams to do it during RLCS 2021–22, qualifying for all three Majors and the World Championship (alongside Team Falcons). Although they only had a brief run at the Fall Major, placing 12th through 14th, the invaluable experience helped them advance in their subsequent season. “After Sweden, we was labeled scrim gods, and we were incredibly amazing at scrims,” STL claimed. “But we all know what happened in the [Fall] Major.” Before FURIA could establish themselves as a global force, they had to compete to show themselves they could compete.

After winning two straight competitions in South America, FURIA came into the Winter Major with a strong momentum. They unexpectedly won their group, defeating the strongly favored The General NRG and Endpoint CeX (twice) to take first place. After winning the group stage, STL claimed that there had been a mental shift.

“Once you’ve done it once, you stop asking yourself, “What if we did this?,” and you start asking yourself, “We can do it and we know how.”  They lost against G2 Esports 2-4 in the upper bracket match and Team Queso 3-4 in the lower bracket match, but they still placed in the top six. It demonstrated how good they could be and was the highest placing ever achieved by a South American team at an RLCS LAN event.

FURIA entered the Spring Major having won two straight competitions, marking the second Split in a row they had done so. Despite losing to Karmine Corp in their opening game, they went on a lengthy run in the lower bracket thanks to yanxnz’s performance. At a LAN event, he established a goal per game record for the RLCS that hasn’t been surpassed.

Despite losing to Karmine Corp once more, they finished in the top six at a major for the second time in a row. The “move” was solidified following the second consecutive top six at the Spring Major, claims STL. By consistently defeating the top teams in the world in two Majors, FURIA had demonstrated enough that a transfer to North America was feasible for the team.

The following significant international competition was the Gamers8 LAN, which was held in Saudi Arabia and included a “crew fight” structure including matches in the 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 gamemodes. The biggest Rocket League LAN in terms of prize money was won by FURIA, showcasing both their team and individual brilliance.

In addition to receiving $50000, FURIA gained momentum for the World Championship. We had the plans well in advance of Gamers8, according to STL. Naturally, winning a LAN contributed to the cause, but the major objective and factor was RLCS success.

Thanks to their impressive Major performances, FURIA directly qualified for the World Championship Main Event and faced off against Karmine Corp. in the opening round. But this time, they prevailed 4-1, winning the battle. They then faced fellow South American team The Club and lost 4-2 to G2 Esports. By winning the series 4-3, FURIA earned a spot on Championship Sunday. Then, in one of the best RLCS series ever, they defeated Moist Esports in an exhilarating 4-3 matchup.

FURIA’s FUTURE?

After dominating the RLCS 2021–22 season, FURIA is now ready for a new chapter and a fresh challenge in North America. Long-term separation from their families will be one of their major obstacles. If we want to accomplish our main objective, which is to win Regionals, Majors, and a World Championship, we will need to get beyond it and the North American jungle, according to STL.

The participants will coexist while playing. Having a team, both within and beyond the game, is essential for success in esports. That is a contributing aspect in how we arrived at this point. FURIA will make the journey together, just like they did when they stunned the world and rose to the top of the competition.