Thorin on FalleN: “He’s literally wasting his teammates’ best years.”

Thorin: The most concerning thing about the situation with FURIA is that the team doesn’t seem to believe in its own ability to win tournaments. The players aren’t backing up their ambitions at all. A huge problem lies with FalleN: because of his imminent retirement, the community is overly sentimental toward him, which completely stifles any reasonable criticism of his current form and decisions as captain.

While any other older IGL—for example, karrigan after joining Team Falcons—is harshly criticized by journalists and fans for every misstep, with people immediately comparing him to his predecessor, kyxsan, FalleN is shielded by the media due to his status as a retiring legend. However, the same standards should apply to him. He is literally wasting his teammates’ best years. Take KSCERATO, for example—he’s unquestionably one of the top 10 players in the world. If FalleN is no longer mentally in the game, he should step down to the bench himself and make way for others. Right now, team morale is at rock bottom. They couldn’t even make it to the finals at a recent modest tournament where Team Vitality was playing with a stand-in. There’s clearly some kind of deep psychological crisis going on within the FURIA roster.

Pimp: The situation at FURIA looks like a massive waste of time for everyone involved. During the latest BLAST event, I interviewed YEKINDAR, and when asked about the team’s future following FalleN’s departure and the search for a new leader, he answered with complete candor. It turns out that on two maps from the rotation—including Ancient and the recently reintroduced Cache—YEKINDAR has completely taken over the duties of in-game leader and game plan development. This raises a logical question: why would a retiring captain remain on the roster if he’s no longer calling the shots on half the maps?

At the same time, YEKINDAR himself has explicitly stated that he has no desire to become a full-fledged IGL on a permanent basis, and he will refuse if the organization tries to pressure him. It’s a vicious cycle. Due to the endless string of tournaments, FURIA simply doesn’t have time to train and recharge, as top clubs like Team Vitality or Natus Vincere have done to maintain peak form. Management is simply trying to maximize the number of matches with FalleN in the hope of snagging at least one trophy before he leaves. There are no discussions within the team about the future, deadlines, or plans. Everyone is in the dark, and players like YEKINDAR or sniper molodoy don’t know what to expect. Until the club starts taking itself seriously, the community and analysts have absolutely no reason to follow FURIA’s matches.