Thorin: “Many streaming personalities simply really love FalleN as a person.”
Journalist Duncan “Thorin” Shields explained on the Counter-Points podcast why FURIA captain Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo and his team rarely face criticism, and he also compared the attitudes toward him and Team Falcons’ IGL Finn “karrigan” Andersen.
On loyalty to FalleN
I’ll say something that might sound strange, but I mean it. <...> My main point is this: I know for a fact that many streamers simply really like FalleN as a person. They’ve met him many, many times. ...> He really is very charismatic. Every time I see him, we go out for a drink. He’s a great guy. Let me put it this way: he could be a politician. He knows how to turn on the charm in a way that makes him impossible to resist.
Second, as I’ve already said on other shows, it seems to me that—even if he didn’t intend it—announcing the end of his career a quarter or a third of the way through the season, with almost the entire season still ahead, oddly enough, served as a shield against any questions like: “Wait a minute, what the hell are you doing with this roster? Aren’t you supposed to be winning tournaments?” I get the feeling that everyone’s thinking, “Oh, come on, he’s retiring at the end of the season anyway. Don’t say anything; don’t be mean.” But in my opinion, one of the strongest teams in the world can’t afford to do that.
On the different attitudes toward FalleN and karrigan
Here’s what annoys me. When FURIA made it to the Major finals—and the incredibly popular FalleN was also set to retire at the end of the year—most people, even the stream commentators, decided: “You know what, if he doesn’t win a single trophy, that’s okay too.” <...> Everyone else treats this like a real farewell tour and says, “It would be great if he won, but if not—no big deal.” This drives me crazy because we live in the same world where karrigan just became world champion, and yet at every tournament you still hear, “Fire him.” <...> If you’re Brazilian, then of course FalleN is more of a legend to you than karrigan. But if we’re just talking about captains, I don’t even understand what we’re discussing. karrigan is probably the greatest captain in history. And he just won a Major.
On October 18, FURIA became the champion of the 2026 Thunderpick World Championship, defeating BetBoom Team 3–2 in the final. FalleN announced his retirement in April, during IEM Rio 2026. In June, the Brazilian team reached the final of the IEM Cologne Major 2026, where they lost in straight games to Team Falcons.
