FURY started 2022 in shambolic form. They came into the new year with a new organization after middle-of-the-pack performances in 2021, having finished in fifth place twice and third place once in APAC South.
But things went south for them immediately, as they were left embarrassed with a zero point haul in Stage 1. The first time they looked threatening enough was on the fifth play day against Wildcard, the statstically poorest team in APAC South history, but still crashed to a 5-7 loss.
FURY's Stage 1 statistics in APAC South.
"Our, like, big player, [Chawit "Mopee" Whangkijthum] at the time, he... he wasn't a bad player," explained FURY IGL Sillapakorn "Lycolis" Dokmaikhaw. "But because of, like, our losing streak as well as the pressure that it's his first ... first stage, so I think he just, like, he just put himself in a lot of pressure."
Mopee only played four matches that stage, finishing with a 0.81 SiegeGG Rating from a -11 K-D and 18 percent KOST. The poor performance from the Zofia and Smoke main, stressed Lycolis, was not the player's fault but cost FURY many rounds.
However, things were far from an easy fix and switching back to playing with longtime captain Chayakorn "Producerboom" Tsai did not help. In fact, Producerboom was even poorer by individual statistics and only managed a SiegeGG Rating of 0.54 in the four matches he played.
Something needed to change and, thankfully for FURY, they were given a boon by their compatriots Elevate. After a strong 2021, despite missing multiple Majors, Elevate had qualified for the Six Invitational 2022 and deemed Sirasit "BGMan" Ariyasirisopon surplus to requirements.
"BGMan was our first choice (replacement) ... we talk before the first stage start," revealed Lycolis. "At that moment, he deny our invite because he thought that [our roster was already full with six players] and he doesn't want to, like, involve into, like, bench someone else."
Thankfully for FURY, BGMan did not refuse when they came calling a second time shortly after the end of Stage 1. And then, things got better.
FURY player i9 at the Six Invitational 2022 with Elevate. (Photo: Ubisoft/Kirill Bashkirov)
Despite a surprisingly strong international debut at SI 2022 that saw them finish in the top 12, Elevate had decided to bench star man Sumate "i9" Srimabut (then known as NayPew). This was exactly what FURY needed, as they "luckily" managed to scoop up their second former Elevate player and form a team that actually looked threatening.
"Second stage was more like [warm-up] for our team," said Lycolis, explaining why his team only managed sixth place despite the positive improvements. "We just play what we practice and see what we can do with it."
And in Stage 3, they delivered. They started with a close overtime loss against Dire Wolves, but announced themselves with a brutal 7-4 takedown of a fearsome-looking Knights. Possibility of Jönköping Major qualification then became probability as Elevate were taken down 7-5 the very next week.
Things eventually got hairy for them after a regulation-time loss to Gaimin Gladiators and a near-failure to beat a points-less Tyde on the final play day. However, a third and final Elevate gift -- a final day regulation-time win over Gaimin Gladiators -- gave FURY the chance to stick the landing and qualify for the Major.
Their group for the Major is far from easy, with w7m esports, Team BDS, and Spacestation Gaming, but Lycolis and his team are not afraid of losing -- in fact, Lycolis says his team was "excited" when the grouping was revealed.
"If we can, like, manage to beat [the other teams] and secure a top two place..." said Lycolis. "I believe that there's not any single player that wouldn't believe they cannot win the Major."
FURY will at least walk away with some valuable experience, but anyone underestimating them could potentially give them a way into the playoffs. And with FURY unafraid to lose, the biggest underdogs at the Major could present a potent combination for any opposition.
"For me, coming out to Major, I just going to, like, did whatever I think of that could gain us the win and I hope that it works out... if it not, we're just going to lose," said Lycolis, matter-of-factly. "[This Major is] just the beginning."
Catch FURY on the international stage at the Jönköping Major, which will take place from Nov. 21 to 27.