Following the expiration of their massive five-year deals, which were signed in June 2019, both players have chosen to stay with the outfit that they have now been apart of for over six years.
Although there were rumours surrounding KSCERATO’s future, due to interest from Team Liquid in December, he has decided to stay with the team.
The 24-year-old is a highly respected player in the Counter-Strike world, and he has already been ranked as a world’s top 20 player (#18 2020, #15 2021, #9 2022, #19 2023) in each of the last four years.
As for his teammate, yuurih, he is in the prime of his career as another 24-year-old, and even though he doesn’t have the same accolades as KSCERATO, he is a valuable role player for FURIA.
Both KSCERATO and yuurih will sign three-year deals to remain with the team, which is ranked 19th in the world rankings, until the end of June 2027.
Meanwhile, FURIA also announced that they have officially signed Felipe “?skullz?” Medeiros from Team Liquid, with both teams finally coming to an agreement to transfer the 22-year-old.
After a disappointing season with Liquid, skullz is expected to find his best under the leadership of Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo and in the comfort of an all-Brazilian roster.
The final piece of the puzzle that was confirmed alongside the news of skullz’ signing was that Sid “sidde” Macedo would take over as head coach for Nicholas “?guerri?” Nogueira, who has changed roles to become FURIA’s Head of Esports.
Skullz and sidde will make their debut for FURIA at the Esports World Cup CS2 tournament when they clash with Natus Vincere on July 17 in the opening round of the event.
FURIA Counter-Strike 2 roster
- Yuri “?yuurih?” Santos
- Kaike “?KSCERATO?” Cerato
- Gabriel “?FalleN?” Toledo
- Marcelo “?chelo?” Cespedes
- Felipe “?skullz?” Medeiros
- Coach: Sid “?sidde?” Macedo
O 5�� player chegou: @skullzcs �� #FURIACS
pic.twitter.com/GCHQPPB7D7
— FURIA (@FURIA) July 9, 2024
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The Brazilian team’s win marked the end of a trophy drought in international LANs that had persisted since September 2019 when they clinched the Arctic Invitational, which was also held in Finland.
Reflecting on the achievement, Andrei “?arT?” Piovezan drew attention to the contrast between the Brazilian heat and Finnish cold, stating, “Yeah, I think so. It’s been a while since we last won a tournament. Winning here is amazing.”
FURIA’s success has injected confidence into the team as they gear up for their final Counter-Strike event of the year, the upcoming BetBoom Dacha in Dubai, with arT expressing optimism about maintaining their momentum in future tournaments.
The best-of-five series commenced on Inferno, Apeks’ map choice, with the European side initially taking the lead.
However, FURIA seized control once their economy stabilized, concluding the first half at 8-4.
Apeks mounted a comeback, equalizing at 8-8, but FURIA, fueled by arT’s quad kill, ultimately secured the map.
Moving on to Ancient, Yuri “?yuurih?” Santos propelled FURIA to a 3-0 lead with a trio of frags in the pistol round.
Apeks tightened their defence, leading 8-4 at halftime, with Joakim “?jkaem?” Myrbostad boasting an impressive 132 ADR.
The second half mirrored the first, with Apeks dominating gun rounds, securing their victory on Ancient.
Vertigo saw Apeks surge to a 5-1 lead on the CT side, but FURIA rallied to narrow the gap.
Despite Tim “?nawwk?” Jonasson’s impactful quad kill with a Desert Eagle, FURIA took control in the second half, overcoming a 4×2 retake blunder and securing the map.
The Mirage map, previously successful for FURIA in Espoo, began with the Brazilian team establishing a 5-1 lead.
Apeks’ resilient defence led to a 6-6 tie before halftime. Playing on the T side, Apeks won three consecutive rounds, nearing double digits.
However, FURIA shifted the momentum with a pivotal round, embarking on a 7-0 run led by Marcelo ‘chelo’ Cespedes and Kaike ‘KSCERATO’ Cerato, ultimately clinching the map, and consequently, the trophy.
Elisa Masters Espoo 2023 champions
@FURIA
@brcho_ pic.twitter.com/q1tkdfIC17
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) December 3, 2023
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