The debate over just how scary the FURIA CSGO team is has raged for some time now, but it was a trip to London that really secured the bag for the Brazilians.
Their opening map of ECS Season 7 Finals was a BO1 against a Danish outfit called Astralis, that used to be world number one, and a great chance to legitimise themselves a team that most people expected to flex on the field and reassert their dominance after some time away from their AKs.
Astralis were strong favourites to win the match at 1.2, with FURIA available at 4.15. Astralis to win by at least seven maps was 1.93.
As things turned out, the Brazilian five managed to defeat the Danes by a couple of rounds, on the map that was previously considered an absolute fortress for the men in red and black. Nuke fell again for Gla1ve and the gang, and it is probably time to admit that Brazil has a new best team too, unless MIBR can do something spectacular at this event and the next.
This all flies in the face of the critics who considered the rise of teams such as FURIA and ENCE to be a sign of a drop in quality in the game, no doubt due to their own preconceptions about how the scene should look if all their favourites are on top form. Orgs spending big on big names that were amazing in 2016 are now being overtaken by smaller teams with the hunger and desire to travel and win for less money, because they are yet to attain the glory that truly feeds a great competitor.
The real challenge for FURIA now is converting this into long-term development, providing this team isn't ripped apart by richer groups, and turned into more cannon fodder for FalleN to blame when things donít work out at MIBR. If they can stay together then this team is going to be much better than just hovering around the cusp of the top ten, as it's a team effort with some star power added, which is the most effective way to wins games in 2019.
As for the Danes, it is too early to report their death, and it may just be that they showed some ring rust, or a lack of respect to their opponents, but this isn't the results they wanted after a few months of relative quiet. This was the start of their glorious revival, where Team Liquid would be sent back to second spot and the dominance of Europe would once again be apparent, but it started with a whimper rather than a bang, and all the pressure is on their shoulders, while FURIA hold their heads high.
Picture: Furia Esports / Facebook
