FURIA adds Junior and honda to replace HEN1

Brazilian organization FURIA was dealt a heavy blow after its CS:GO team’s arguably most consistent player Henrique “HEN1” Teles requested to be benched last week. HEN1 raised doubts over his future with the team after expressing the desire to reunite with his twin brother Lucas  “LUCAS1” Teles.

Heading forward, FURIA has seemingly opted for a six-man lineup after announcing the acquisition of former Triumph AWPer Paytyn “⁠junior⁠” Johnson and the promotion of up-and-coming prospect Lucas “honda” Honda from its academy to the main squad.

HEN1’s departure

HEN1’s departure leaves a big void for FURIA heading into the 2021 season. The AWPer had arguably the best year in his career with FURIA, ending the year in enviable 16th place on HLTV’s official rankings.

The Brazilian, once known for his fiery temper and overall difficulty to work with has truly blossomed during his time with the team. Once known for his ultra-aggressive playstyle, at times he seemed to uncharacteristically be the yin to Andrei “arT” Piovezan’s yang when it came to competitive matches.

But the last 18 months of separation from his twin brother LUCAS1 have seemingly taken their toll on HEN1. The duo first came into the CS:GO limelight while playing under Tempo Storm after the team upset the likes of Virtus Pro and Team Dignitas to win CEVO Pro League Season 9 back in 2016.

Image Credits | HLTV

With FURIA’s core in place and working like a well-oiled machine, there was no place for LUCAS1 in FURIA’s roster.

“Throughout 2020, he [HEN1] expressed, always in a very clear and transparent way, his wish to play alongside Lucas. We were never hurt or resentful, but that was always a very remote possibility. There was no room in FURIA, our team has a solid core and we are very happy with it, there was no way that we could bring Lucas into this group.”, stated investor Andre Akkari.

It looks as though FURIA will be actively looking to find HEN1 a new home as soon as possible, as Akkari revealed that the organization is willing to sell the player far below his release clause.

“An offer was made for Henrique, and just like I had promised him, we did not create any problems. Even though it was less than 10 per cent of the release clause in his contract, we left the decision in his hands.”, he further added.

Rumors have surfaced that HEN1 will be linking up with his brother in a new project led by Raphael “cogu” Camargo which will feature the bulk of MIBR’s former roster.

With the rumored team most likely featuring Vito “kNgV -” Giuseppe, we could very well have another Brazilian powerhouse rise in 2021.

The new additions

FURIA will evidently be following the arising trend of six-man CS:GO rosters that has popped over the course of last year. Although the model has turned into an unofficial contest for a team’s final roster spot for most organizations, teams like Vitality have pulled it off to a great degree of success.

The team first announced the acquisition of Paytyn “⁠junior⁠” Johnson after a couple of months of rumors. The American AWPer was a breakout player on Triumph’s roster, which emerged as one of NA’s finest during the past season.

Junior will have a tall task ahead of him, as apart from being the only American player on an otherwise Brazillian roster, he is relatively unproven on CS:GO’s biggest stages.

Apart from junior, FURIA has also promoted Lucas “honda” Honda from its academy. The up-and-comer will be making his debut for FURIA at the BLAST Premier Global Final after it was announced that junior will miss out on the tournament due to visa issues.

Heading into the BLAST Premier Global Final, the CSGO odds are certainly not in FURIA’s favor, but judging from past experiences, the Brazilians have never failed to amaze us.

Currently, FURIA looks to be set for 2021, but only time will tell if the new additions will be able to adapt to FURIA’s ultra-aggressive style of play.