FURIA’s Counter-Strike 2 roster is now reportedly complete with the signing of skullz, who previously played for paiN Gaming and Team Liquid.
The official announcement of skullz joining FURIA is expected to drop online soon. According to a new report by Jairo “Foxer” Junior of Game Arena, these talks have already privately concluded with skullz signing for Brazil’s biggest CS2 team.
Skullz fills the gap left by Kayke “kye” Bertolucci, who was benched earlier this month and will leave the roster completely to make room. Today’s expected addition is only part of the reported changes too, with a new coach in line to replace guerri. He, in turn, will transition to a more managerial role. The leading candidate for the new CS2 coach is reportedly FURIA’s assistant coach, Sid “sidde” Macedo.
At 22 years old, skullz brings valuable experience to the Brazilian team. Skullz’s debut date isn’t locked in yet, though it may occur at the Esports World Cup 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 17.
Skullz’s departure from Team Liquid compounds a rough few weeks for the once-hopeful Counter-Strike venture. Liquid experienced its first major setback when it failed to qualify for PGL Major Copenhagen through the Americas RMR recently. This early defeat for the new lineup was tough but could have been overlooked due to the brutal event format and tough matches against Complexity and FURIA.
Unfortunately, the poor results continued after those qualifiers, with the team failing to make IEM Chengdu through the NA qualifier before faltering in the BLAST Spring Showdown. Although they were later invited to IEM Chengdu after other teams withdrew, making a run to the playoffs in China and at ESL Pro League Season 19, sources indicated the team’s internal atmosphere remained strained.
The situation seemed dire even before Liquid’s group stage exit at IEM Dallas, after a poor performance where the roster was booted out of the lower bracket finals to G2 after a 1–2 loss
Critics and the community have pointed out the underperformance of YEKINDAR and skullz as key reasons. YEKINDAR was a shadow of the superstar opener he once was, while skullz struggled to fit into Liquid’s playstyle, especially on T side.
Additionally, with the recent benching of cadiaN, Liquid has now lost its in-game CS2 leader. Players on the team have frequently mentioned regular difficulties in integrating different approaches over their rough six months together.
