FURIA squeeze past Complexity to reach DreamHack Anaheim final

FURIA came from behind to beat Complexity 2-1 and book a spot in the DreamHack Open Anaheim title decider.

The Brazilian team overcame a dour start to edge out Complexity in a keenly-contested series and reach their first LAN final with the current roster. After breezing past Endpoint and North, losing just nine rounds across those best-of-one games, FURIA looked to be at the top of their game, but they were handed a painful reality check on Mirage, where they were on the back foot from the start.

FURIA looked a completely different side on Overpass, a map where Vinicius "⁠VINI⁠" Figueiredo showed just how scary he can be when he is on point. Yuri "⁠yuurih⁠" Santos then turned the hero on Nuke: with 34 kills in a nail-biting game that went the full distance, he helped fire the team across the finish line and into a final against the new kids on the block, Gen.G, who have yet to lose a map at this event.

Complexity went for FURIA's throats from the offset on Mirage, their own map pick, and were commanding throughout the first half. An Owen "⁠oBo⁠" Schlatter ace on the B site was the perfect ending to a near-flawless T side performance from the European side, who took a commanding 12 rounds into the break - a scoreline could have been much worse for the Brazilians had it not been for clutches from their star players, Kaike "⁠KSCERATO⁠" Cerato and yuurih.

There was more misery to come for FURIA, who found themselves with no room for error after a slow start to the second half. Down 3-15, Andrei "⁠arT⁠" Piovezan's side dug deep and went into double-digit territory before a stunning quad kill from Valentin "⁠poizon⁠" Vasilev on the B site sealed the deal for Complexity.

VINI opened up the action on Overpass with a Glock ace, giving his team a much-needed confidence boost after the shaky Mirage performance. William "⁠RUSH⁠" Wierzba responded in kind with a quad kill in the following round, but FURIA instantly regained control of proceedings after a successful buy.

With their economy in shambles, Complexity took some time to get back on their feet and contain the early FURIA onslaught. After being down 1-6, Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer's troops managed to bring the deficit to a solitary round, but the Brazilians were in control during the final stages of the half, which ended with three rounds separating the two teams.

FURIA continued to add to their lead after switching to the CT side, with VINI once again at the center of the action. A successful eco breathed new life into Complexity, who went on a five-round winning streak, but their gung-ho approach was quickly figured out by the Brazilians, who tightened up their B site defense to lock down the map.

The Brazilians carried that momentum into Nuke, where they jumped out to a commanding 7-1 lead following a dream start to their T side. Complexity improved as the game wore on, but their three-round deficit heading into the T side was a worrying sight.

blameF's side came out with all guns blazing and quickly took the lead with some fast executes that FURIA could not contain. The Brazilians tried to respond, but some misplays on their part - which included a wasted 4v2 situation - saw Complexity edge closer to match point. FURIA tightened up and gradually took the upper hand after a frantic period, with a key triple kill from VINI in the 29th round leaving the European team with no money in the bank to contest the final round.