skullz on joining FURIA: "It feels like home"

The Brazilian anchor opened up about leaving Liquid and starting a new chapter in his career.

FURIA find themselves staring elimination in the face after day one of the Esports World Cup following a 0-2 defeat to Natus Vincere.

The Brazilians almost took the first map, Nuke, to overtime after recovering from an 11-5 deficit, only to falter at the last hurdle. Mirage was a one-sided affair, with FURIA posting only five rounds after a disastrous CT side.

After the match, Felipe "⁠skullz⁠" Medeiros sat down with HLTV to discuss his transfer from Liquid and what went wrong with that team, as well as the feeling to be playing for a Brazilian side once again.

Date	Matches
Esports World Cup 2024
18/07/2024	FlyQuest 12:35 FURIA	Match

---

You lost 0-2 to NAVI. Mirage didn't go your way at all as you couldn't find a single round on the CT side. What happened?

We were a little bit lost in mid-round situations. In the beginning, I think we played pretty good CS, but we are a new team, and, of course, in these little situations, NAVI is going to punish us, because of experience and everything else. So, yeah, I guess that was what happened.

Coming into this event, how much time did you have to practice with the team?

We had like two weeks of practice, but chelo was sick on some days. He's still sick, very sick. So we lost a few days of practice. So yeah, that's it.

I wanted to ask you about leaving Liquid. How would you describe your time there? In your mind, was it an unsuccessful stint, or do you look at it more as an experience?

I look at that as an experience, of course. I learned a lot during my period there. And this offer that I got from FURIA was something that I wanted for my career. Because I feel that here I have the freedom to grow a lot more. It was a very happy decision for me, for sure.

Why do you think things with Liquid ended the way they did?

A lot happened there. We went through a lot. Since the beginning, we didn't have enough [ranking] points to get into tournaments, so we had to play qualifiers back in LA. So that really messed up our schedule for practice in Europe. And overall, I guess we didn't learn to adapt to each other and play for each other. I think that cost us a lot of time, and we never got into the next stage.

The community learned about your move to FURIA before you were benched. How did it all begin?

FURIA reached out and Liquid contacted me about the offer. That's how it started.

Did you consider any other options for your career?

I really think FURIA is the right fit for me for the next couple of years of my career. Maybe in the future, I can play internationally again. But I felt I had to go back to my Brazilian roots to play at my best again and be the old skullz again.

Now that you’re back again on a Brazilian team. How much more comfortable do you feel compared to an international roster?

It feels like home. I'm really happy to play with these guys. I love them all. They are amazing players and also amazing people. I'm really happy to be here and be part of the scene.

What does It feel like to join the biggest Brazilian team with the biggest names? You said you are happy to join FURIA, but does it feel better than the offer you received from Liquid?

Kind of, in some ways. I remember that last year I got an offer from them, but it didn't happen because of my buyout. It was pretty high at the time. Since then, I always wanted to play for FURIA. And right now, it just feels like the right time and the right place to be.

Read more

KSCERATO and yuurih sign three-year contract extensions: "They are FURIA"

KSCERATO and yuurih recently extended their contracts with FURIA. Does it reassure you of the team’s future?

Yes, of course. They are legendary players in Brazil. And it's going to be really nice to play with them for the next couple of years.

FalleN and cadiaN are both AWPing IGLs. But how different are their leadership styles?

They are both very good leaders, amazing leaders. But I feel that FalleN gives a little bit more freedom to the players, while cadiaN controls a bit more. I don't think it's a bad way of calling, I want to make it clear. But that's the main difference.

And lastly, tomorrow you’ll play the Last Chance stage: BO1 bracket single-elimination for one spot in playoffs. Do you think this format gives you an advantage given you’re a fresh team?

It's a very odd format, but yeah, I guess the next stage is going to be a little bit more comfortable for us because of the map pool.