After FURIA managed to pull off an upset against Vitality 2-0 in the first quarter-final of DreamHack Masters, we came to have an interview with Rinaldo "ableJ" Moda Junior to find out more about the team’s synergy, their impressive run in the event and their preparation for the upcoming match against team liquid.
FURIA is currently the second most established team in the Brazilian scene, apart from the well-renowned MIBR, as they managed to put up consistent performance over a long span of time, greater than other Brazilian brands like Luminosity, INTZ, Sharks or DETONA.
FURIA came to the Dallas event being the heavy underdog against the big names like NRG, fnatic, ENCE and Vitality. The team was very successful in online matches especially but had yet to play in any big LAN stage. However, the Brazilian squad came out strong, beating NRG in one of the best maps for tarik and Co. Things did not go by as a fluke as they carried on their good performance and eventually defeated 2 more established teams like fnatic and Vitality in a convincing 2-0 fashion to book a ticket to semi-final against Team Liquid.
First, we asked ableJ about what they prepared against Vitality, how did it work out. It turned out surprising that they came into the tournament setting no high bar or pressure. They were just playing their CS in a loose style, and it delivered good results.
ableJ spoke up his opinion about the team they face. He admitted they were good teams but FURIA themselves are formidable too. In fact, he stated “ I think we are one of the best teams in the world in terms of individual talent. I think I am just as confident now as I was when we entered the tournament”. ableJ pointed out that their mentality was the key, as they played really comfortably, doing their job under no pressure at all.
To shed light on both of the maps played in the match versus Vitality, ableJ added: Inferno worked out really well for them as they got half of the job done in T side with 10 rounds. They got a good time and everything went well as expected. arT really put up a great performance in the map while getting to call. He got all pumped up and found the way Vitality was playing and laid waste to the Frenchmen’s defense. Nuke came out well for the Brazilians as they did their homework and found a way to punish the T side with a scoreline of 12-3 in the first half.
With the victory over the Frenchmen, FURIA goes on to face Team Liquid in the semi-final, which will be played on the stage of DreamHack Masters Dallas 2019 on June 02. Coming to the match, ableJ feels confident that they will be just like another NRG. “They are good, but we will play our game and just shoot them in the face.”