FURIA defeated Aurora 2–1 in the Group B lower-bracket final of the BetBoom Dacha Belgrade Season 2 Play-In and kept their hopes of reaching the main event alive. After the hard-fought series, kyotostxr spoke with Yuri yuurih Santos about the team’s consistency, his long-standing friendship with KSCERATO, the development of the Brazilian scene, and the standout players of 2024.
Congratulations on the win! It was a very crazy match. Who would you give the series MVP award to?
I do not know. I think everyone played well today.
— yuurih
I had a couple of highlights, so I would probably give it to myself.
What do FURIA need to improve to become a consistent top-ten team in the world? Do you consider FURIA the best team in Brazil?
That is a difficult question.
— yuurih
I think FURIA and paiN are currently the two best teams in Brazil. We are at roughly the same level, although paiN have been more consistent.
We need to improve our own game.
Today we lost many rounds against force buys because, at one point, we lost control of the match a little.
Would you describe your teammates as friends or family? Is it true that KSCERATO specifically wants to continue playing with you in FURIA?
KSCERATO and I have been friends for more than seven years.
— yuurih
We have always performed well together, and the team has needed both of us.
Outside the game, we are almost like brothers—you could say that we are family.
We feel comfortable playing for FURIA, and we hope to remain here and continue producing good results.
We are both happy in the team and do not want to leave at the moment.
How would you describe FURIA’s current playing style? How much has it changed since 2019?
A great deal has changed.
— yuurih
We had a completely different style with arT.
The approach changed when FalleN joined because he is a more passive in-game leader.
But in modern Counter-Strike, you need to be able to play both passively and aggressively while also understanding the game very well.
If FURIA needed a new player, would you look for a young prospect or someone more experienced? How difficult is it for FURIA Academy players to adapt to tier-one competition?
I would look at a young player.
— yuurih
In Brazil, we do not currently have young talents as exceptional as the ones in Europe.
However, we now have some promising players who need the opportunity to demonstrate their potential.
They need to keep playing, attend many tournaments, and show everyone who they are.
Imagine that you have to choose the CS2 player of the year, taking into account not only statistics but also personality and character. Who would you pick?
I think it would be donk this year.
— yuurih
He has shown everyone how good he is. I have already spoken with him, and he seemed like a good and kind person.
I would also mention NiKo. He is a good person as well, and he has been playing this game at a very high level from the beginning of his career.
So my choices would be donk, NiKo, and, of course, ZywOo.
