FURIA Esports and LOS oNe clash to decide final LATAM SI 2023 slot, KDS faces former team

After the Friday and Saturday games, FURIA Esports and LOS oNe will face off in a match where the winner will qualify for the Six Invitational 2023.

Both Mexico and South America couldn’t prevent the Brazilian teams from meeting in the closed qualifier grand-final, with this being the most expected bracket result.

The winner will join w7m esports, Team Liquid, and FaZe Clan, in the Six Invitational 2023.

FURIA Esports vs LOS oNe

• BR6 2022 Stage 1: Team oNe (7-5, Oregon)
• CES 2022 Stage 1: FURIA Esports (7-3, 7-1, Bank and Oregon)
• BR6 2022 Stage 2: FURIA Esports (8-6, Chalet)
• BR6 2022 Stage 3: Team oNe (8-7, Border)

FURIA Esports’ record is slightly better due to their victory at the Copa Elite Six, where they got two one-sided wins by 7-1 and 7-3 margins.

But this year’s clashes between both sides have been quite close, overall, with two of the five maps played decided in overtime and one in the 12th round.

Young talent fight for the last SI 2023 ticket

For the last two seasons, Brazilian teams have been rejuvenating. Signing emerging talent from the country’s tier-two scene, including Série B and Challenger League, has been vital to the Brasileirão’s continued progress.

However, the performances by FURIA and oNe in Mar. 2021 changed the mindsets of many. Both squads didn’t miss a single international event played in the first post-pandemic season, with the highlight of the year being oNe’s victory in the Six Mexico Major.

Now-established players like Diogo “Fntzy” Lima, Lorenzo “Lagonis” Volpi, or Karl “Alem4o” Zath were part of the rosters that had international debuts at the Six Invitational 2021. With the introduction of the Liga Six, it became easier for teams to track the region’s talents. On top of that, Copa do Brasil offered tier-two players the chance of proving themselves against some of the big names in the region. 

Both FURIA and oNe also subsequently underwent changes, which ended in more opportunities for the upcoming talent. 

Thiago “Handy” Ferreira is now the only rookie on FURIA and became the best player on his team in the final stage of the year. His SiegeGG Rating in the LATAM SI 2023 Closed Qualifier is also at an impressive 1.21 after the first two games, the highest on his team.

Meanwhile, four of LOS oNe’s five players had professional debuts throughout the season. Júlio “L0BIN” Gabriel, who signed for the team at the beginning Stage 3, is now the best player by SiegeGG Rating in the closed qualifier with a 1.27 figure, followed by his teammates Renato “rhZ” Luiz and Gabriel “Maia” Maia.

Across both squads’ players, only rhZ was born before the year 2000, while seven of the were born after 2001. In other words, today’s game is a battle between the future of Brazil’s Siege.

KDS faces rhZ in a singular rivalry

Eduardo “KDS” Santos’ debut for FURIA came on Friday against Team Cruelty, just a day after his signing was announced.

The signing has been a positive one so far, as KDS has been the second-best player in the FURIA lineup. He was also the best player in the semi-final match against Furious Gaming.

Despite the player’s positive performances, it’s worth noting that these have been against Mexican and South American teams. Brazilian opposition will be very different.

Undoubtedly, the real test comes today — and, curiously enough, it will be against one of KDS’s former teams. From Mar. 2021 to Mar. 2022, KDS represented Team oNe at the Mexico Major, the Sweden Major, and the Six Invitational 2022. Despite the change in the name and colors on the squad now known as LOS oNe, it will likely still be an emotional game for KDS. 

Another link that connects FURIA’s brand new signing to oNe is Renato “rhZ” Luiz. Both players competed together in Brazil’s ESL Pro League Season 11 under Team Singularity, when the roster ended in seventh place.

Team Singularity’s impact in Siege was barely noticeable due to the organization’s short stint in the scene’s top-flight. However, during its stay in the game, the roster had talented players and staff that would eventually take over the region, including eventual Six Mexico Major MVP, champion, and KDS’s teammate at Team oNe, Juliano “Levy” Andrade, current FaZe Clan player and Sweden Major champions Lucas “soulz1” Schinke and coach Matheus “Ramalho” Ramalho.

Momentarily, Team Singularity was also the home of the following top-flight players:

• w7m esports: Gabriel “volpz” Fernandes
• Team Liquid: Vitor “hugzord” Hugo
• FURIA Esports: Thiago “LENDA” Torres
• Tropi Caos: Diego “ZaaK” Balejo
• 00 Nation: Caio “Neskin” Szazi

In other words, seven of the 10 Brasileirão 2022 teams have had some sort of Team Singular influence in their player and coaching lineups, with Ninjas in Pyjamas, Black Dragons, and MIBR being the only exceptions.