FURIA’s strategic overhaul in League of Legends: Investment, talent acquisition, and Brazilian esports revival
The Turning Point: Recognizing the Need for Change
FURIA is launching a completely rebuilt League of Legends roster in the CBLOL, with organization founder Jaime Pádua detailing why this marks a transformative period for their esports division.
FURIA’s founder and co-CEO Jaime Pádua revealed to Dexerto how their revamped League of Legends squad signifies a fundamental shift in the Brazilian organization’s approach to competitive gaming.
When discussing Brazil’s competitive League of Legends landscape, FURIA traditionally hasn’t featured among the nation’s elite squads. Beyond securing fourth position in the 2019 Winter Split and third place in the 2020 Summer Split, the organization consistently underperformed within Brazil’s premier League of Legends competition.
The 2021 CBLOL splits delivered particularly disappointing outcomes, with FURIA placing ninth and tenth respectively in the ten-team league structure.
These consecutive poor performances forced comprehensive organizational changes, as founder and co-CEO Jaime Pádua explained why supporters should anticipate a completely different competitive approach from FURIA’s League division.
“We absorbed significant damage during those competitive splits. The experience proved thoroughly unsatisfactory,” Pádua reflected on the 2021 competitive year. “During every discussion with sponsors, fans, and prospective investors, the conversation followed a familiar pattern: ‘Counter-Strike operations excel, your streaming network ranks among global elite, premium brands partner with FURIA, organizational growth continues steadily, revenue increases annually.’ Then emerged that unavoidable question: ‘But League of Legends performs disastrously, correct? The situation appears irreparable.’ And unfortunately, they weren’t wrong.
“Our competitive results failed to reflect the quality standards we maintain across all other operational areas. This discrepancy became increasingly problematic. It resembled walking with a persistent pebble in your footwear—everything progresses smoothly except for that exposed vulnerability. During strategic discussions with my co-CEO, I presented two clear alternatives: either exit competitive League entirely and divest our league slot, since competing merely to endure defeats makes little strategic sense, or implement comprehensive transformation, commit fully to competitive warfare, increase financial investment, recruit elite professionals, secure top coaching talent, and implement every necessary component to establish competitive differentiation and elevate the team to FURIA’s expected performance level.’
“We ultimately chose the path of competitive warfare.”
Building the Foundation: Leadership and Talent Acquisition
Toronto Ultra finally rebrands after KOI takeover rumors
One LoL dev single-handedly won over gaming’s most toxic community in less than a week
100 Thieves exit competitive League of Legends amid massive LTA viewership decline
FURIA’s initial strategic move involved securing new leadership direction. The organization replaced 2021 head coach Edward ‘Edward’ Abgaryan with Lucas ‘Maestro’ Pierre, who previously guided fellow CBLOL competitor INTZ to two World Championship appearances during his coaching tenure.
Following coaching stabilization came comprehensive roster reconstruction.
VEM #CBLOL! 🔥#FURIALoL #DIADEFURIA pic.twitter.com/sEi91tcV8Y
— FURIA (@FURIA) November 26, 2021
The newly assembled squad features exclusively players with championship experience or consistent contention within CBLOL competitions.
Top lane specialist Francisco ‘fNb’ Natanael arrived following a 2021 season featuring top-four accomplishments with Vorax Liberty. Filipe ‘Ranger’ Brombilla secured both CBLOL championships during 2018 and competed at Worlds representing KaBuM! e-Sports. Bruno ‘Envy’ Farias also possesses two CBLOL titles and attended Worlds alongside Maestro in 2020 while competing for INTZ.
2021 Split 2 marked Lucas ‘Netuno’ Flores’ CBLOL debut, yet he still achieved top-six placement with Flamengo Esports. Ygor ‘RedBert’ Freitas represents FURIA’s most accomplished acquisition, having captured three CBLOL championships and qualifying for Worlds on two separate occasions.
“I maintain complete confidence in our squad’s competitive strength and their capacity to challenge for championships across multiple seasons,” Pádua asserted. “While numerous exceptional players exist throughout the competitive landscape, and Brazil’s scene contains other formidable organizations, our assembled roster demonstrates undeniable competitive potency.”
According to Pádua, this renewed organizational approach rapidly altered Brazilian competitors’ perceptions of FURIA’s competitive standing.
“Competitors previously expressed apprehension about joining FURIA. ‘I prefer not to compete for non-competitive organizations, for squads consistently occupying lower table positions.’ This represented our organizational reality,” Pádua disclosed. “Once we implemented our strategic framework, demonstrated our project scope and competitive ambitions, these recruitment challenges largely dissipated.
“Following coaching appointments, project assembly, and vision communication, the dynamic shifted toward proactive player interest. ‘Jaime, I aspire to represent FURIA, I want Maestro’s coaching guidance, I desire project participation.'”
Financial Commitment: Doubling Down on Success
However, roster reconstruction represents merely one component of FURIA’s transformed League of Legends methodology.
“Our League of Legends division now constitutes FURIA’s secondary largest financial investment,” Pádua clarified. “League of Legends maintains tremendous esports relevance, representing tier-one competitive status regarding audience metrics, competitive intensity, and participant numbers. Considering these factors, elevating our investment commitment became essential.
“We’ve essentially doubled previous expenditure levels to elevate FURIA’s competitive standing. This financial commitment extends beyond player acquisitions to encompass staff expansion, training facilities, bootcamp resources, and comprehensive support infrastructure.”
Brazil’s League of Legends ecosystem shares structural similarities with Korean and Chinese regional models regarding domestic talent prioritization. Among 61 competitors participating in 2021 CBLOL Split 2, 52 represented Brazilian nationality. Since organizations emphasize local talent development, competition for elite players intensifies significantly.
“I attribute our substantial investment requirements to Brazil’s structural challenge: ten CBLOL organizations recruit players despite insufficient elite talent availability across all competitive roles,” Pádua explained. “Approximately three-to-five exceptional players exist per role, yet ten organizations compete aggressively for these limited resources.”
The organizational expectation involves translating increased financial commitment into sustained, long-term competitive success for FURIA.
“Our primary objective involves evolutionary progression. Will we secure immediate CBLOL championship victory? Uncertainty remains, though hopefulness persists,” Pádua stated. “However, we aim establishing foundational frameworks demonstrating FURIA’s competitive capabilities within League of Legends while creating lasting legacy, extending beyond immediate CBLOL success toward sustained annual competitiveness. This represents our core organizational ambition.”
Long-term Vision and Development Strategy
2022 season preparations commenced actively, with the squad traveling to Katowice, Poland for intensive preseason bootcamp training.
“We recognize Brazil’s substantial talent reservoir, though League of Legends features significantly steeper learning curves compared to alternative titles due to intricate mechanical and strategic complexities,” Pádua noted. “Brazil faces structural limitations: European competitors access solo queue matchmaking against global elite players, potentially completing 15 matches daily. Brazilian players attempting equivalent solo queue dedication might manage only eight-to-ten matches maximum.
“Exposing our competitors to enhanced competitive environments and increased high-quality practice volume remains fundamental for narrowing regional performance gaps.”
Nevertheless, the organization’s founder maintains realistic expectations for the 2022 competitive season.
“We must prioritize fundamental execution,” Pádua elaborated. “Essential groundwork requires completion, team development necessitates focus, CBLOL victory demands pursuit within exceptionally competitive league environments, followed by international competition exposure. Developmental stages cannot bypass sequential progression. I maintain confidence regarding our squad’s competitive strength.
“Should organizational commitment persist alongside player performance delivery, I anticipate gradual reduction of competitive disparities between Brazilian and international regions. Perhaps subsequent seasons might feature Brazilian representation at Worlds through our organization. This represents our aspirational objective.”
FURIA successfully assembled a roster comprising exclusively Brazilian competitive talent. Whether this reconstructed lineup generates measurable competitive success remains temporally dependent. Previous seasons witnessed RED Canids emerging unexpectedly to dominate CBLOL playoffs dramatically while achieving Worlds qualification.
Potentially FURIA might become the league’s subsequent surprising narrative. Regardless of 2022 outcomes, FURIA Esports prepared comprehensively to establish distinctive identity within Brazilian League of Legends.
No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » FURIA’s new star-studded League roster aims to challenge the status quo in CBLOL FURIA's strategic overhaul in League of Legends: Investment, talent acquisition, and Brazilian esports revival