FURIA Win IEM New York NA

The Brazilians have done it again. Once more, the North American Counter-Strike scene bows before FURIA, who have snatched their second trophy in a row following ESL Pro League.

Their biggest opponent during the playoffs wasn’t Evil Geniuses or the 100 Thieves. Team Liquid, who had already lost in their Opening Match and headed to the 5th Place Match, actually put up the best show versus the Brazilians. EG, as often, weren’t able to compete with FURIA.

The Brazilians stood against 100 Thieves in the Grand Finals, who also made their last appearance in this formation. The Thieves kicked things off with a surprise 16-9 victory on Nuke, driven by Sean “Gratisfaction” Kawai. The Australian got a 1.98 rating for his efforts and helped his team gain a map advantage. Their excitement grew when they also posted a solid 8-7 half on Inferno. But their CT side was much too weak and FURIA knew how to outmaneuver them. Just shy of the finishing line, Justin “jks” Savage and his men failed on a 14-16 scoreline.

So FURIA had tied the overall score up again and headed to Vertigo, one of their strongest maps. There, they got a quick 16-4 and followed this up with a 16-11 on Mirage, granting them the IEM New York NA trophy. 100 Thieves had hoped to celebrate the end of their run as a team with a tournament victory, but they would have needed a much better performance to do so.

IS FURIA REALLY THE BEST NA TEAM?

The Counter-Strike scene is on shaky grounds right now. Results from online matches are not nearly as reliable as those from LAN tournaments, which is why such a question is difficult to answer. But FURIA have maintained their leadership position for months now and won four tournaments, even during the online phase. So they’re, without a doubt, the most successful team. Taking a look at the rosters next in line reveals that their competitors don’t have much of a claim, as Evil Geniuses haven’t won a single map versus FURIA ever since ESL One Cologne. While 100T and Chaos did manage to upset them, the Brazilians always perform when it matters most.

Even though Team Liquid only secured 5th place during IEM New York NA, they appeared to be the most competitive opponent of FURIA. They almost made it past Henrique “HEN1” Teles and company. But they still failed and haven’t beaten Evil Geniuses for months now. With the departure of 100 Thieves, a serious competitor has left the scene and may give teams like Chaos the chance to enter the Top 4 of North America.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE 100T PLAYERS?

Justin “jks” Savage and Joakim “jkaem” Myrbostad have already signed on for new projects. Complexity have shown interest in the Australian star player to fill the void left behind by Owen “oBo” Schlatter. But jkaem is heading back to Norway altogether, as Apeks have brought him on board. There, he will reunite with his former G2 colleague, Dennis “dennis” Edman. However, this is a stark downgrade for the player, who has now donned the 100 Thieves (and formerly Renegades) colors for years. He exits the North American Top 5 and enters a team that is on #65 of the world rankings. It stands to question whether he will actually find success there.