Insider Gaming spoke to Yuri ‘yuurih’ Boian ahead of the start of FURIA’s campaign at BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026.
The Brazilian roster won four big events last year, but have struggled to recapture that form in 2026. yuurih spoke to Insider Gaming to explain why FURIA looks different this year, how the team’s struggles are affecting his individual game, and how FURIA are aiming to recapture that form at BLAST.
“Sometimes you put in your head that you need to change, and actually you don’t need to.”
yuurih on FURIA changing too much going into 2026
At Pro League, you missed out on playoffs against Astralis. Do you have any reflections from that match?
Yeah. We had two bad maps. It was the Nuke, very bad for us, and the last one was Inferno. They were playing good, but talking about us, we actually didn’t play.
So, it was a bad map, but it was a map that when you watch and see the things, we realised that we need to change something. We need to play better as a team, make good decisions always. So, we need to be better.
It’s a moment when we looked at our maps to understand how we are playing, how we’re going to react against them. So, Counter-Strike is about that, you know? Reaction every time, and we’re not doing this very well right now.
So, we need to be better at these things.
At times last year, especially on maps like Inferno or Nuke, the timing of when you’re rotating showed that you had a really good read on teams. Is there any reason why that’s not looked as good this year?
We watched our game last year, and we watch now, we’re not doing the same things. We’re not the same, you know?
Sometimes we need to see something and realise that we need to be that person that we were, in the decision that we’re making.
Sometimes you put in your head that you need to change, and actually you don’t need to. So, you can’t do this too much because it’s bad.
So, yeah, but after this tournament [Pro League], we had a good conversation, and we’re realizing that we need to be better. As a team, we need to change something that, new things that we bring, but it’s not good, you know.
Sometimes you just need to have good decisions in playing as a team, and I think this is the hard part.
We try to always change, and actually, it’s not good. You just need to have good directions on the map, understand your teammates, have good comms. So, I think this is very important.
So, you’re going back to basics?
Yeah, basics.
When you watch Vitality, for example, you’re going to see that their basics are very good. They don’t make mistakes doing those, and sometimes we make these mistakes that you can’t.
“It’s not the same thing, right? Knowing that you won’t have your captain.”
yuurih on the prospect of missing FalleN at the Pro League LAN Finals
At Pro League, FalleN would have missed the playoffs even if you qualified. Was that something that played into your minds?
Yeah, it’s not the same thing, right? Knowing that you won’t have your captain, even though we were trying, because we were playing with FalleN.
The thing that was going to change, I think, was after we got the playoffs. When we were playing playoffs without FalleN, it’s a little bit different. It’s bad.
But before, I think, we were trying as a team. We wanted to win, but we didn’t. So, as I said, we didn’t play well as a team.
We were trying.
Obviously, you guys lost Train, and Anubis came into the map pool. Where would you say your map pool is at the moment?
Well, for me, Train, it was my best map, and for the team, it was well. We liked it a lot. But with Anubis? Anubis is a weird map. Like, as CT side, it’s a lot of fractions. You need to play differently. You need to play reaction every time.
So, it’s a little bit hard. So, of course, it was bad for us. We had Train, and all the other maps, and it was good for us. But right now, we are trying, as I said, we are trying to be better again in all the maps. So, we need to work more.
So, we are trying to bring this confidence back on the maps.
“The role I play in the game is all about connection with the team, and sometimes you don’t have the connection, so it’s hard to play.”
yuurih on faltering form on lurking roles in 2026
Individually, you’re missing Train. But overall, it looks like it’s harder for you to have impact in the games so far this year. Why do you think that is?
I think for me, since the start of the year, the T side has been hard. Like, individually playing, it’s not the same thing, and I know that it’s more about my decisions.
Sometimes it’s more about how we are playing as a team. The role I play in the game is all about connection with the team, and sometimes you don’t have the connection, so it’s hard to play.
But I know the things that I need to be better at and fix for the next time. And the team knows as well that we need to be better as T side, on the T side, as a team.
Like, the things we are doing, the things that we are trying, it’s all about playing as a team. Connection, reaction, and understanding each other. Sometimes you don’t understand, and this is very bad.
So, for me, it’s more about I need to understand better the team better, what we are doing in the map, and making the best decisions. Sometimes it’s hard.
But I know that I need to improve on the T side. Not only me, right? It’s about the team. So, we have this in mind. So, let’s practice more and see how it will be.
“Last year, when we were winning and winning, it was really different; the confidence was different. Everything was different.”
yuurih on winning as a habit
Because you’re in more passive positions on a lot of the maps, do you think the fact that the team on T side isn’t having as much success is affecting your ability to catch people unaware and stuff like that?
Yeah, of course. It’s more about this and about your decisions. So, it’s hard. You need to be ready every time to understand.
Sometimes you don’t have the chance because your team didn’t have success on the map.
So, I think it’s more about this, yeah.
How are you feeling about this event?
It’s a good tournament. I think, for me, this is a good tournament to start winning.
When we start winning, it gives a lot of confidence. Last year, when we were winning and winning, it was really different; the confidence was different. Everything was different. The comms are different.
So, I think we need to start winning and be better with the things that we watch and the way that we’re playing as a team.
Any time is a good time to start playing better. So, I think it’s a good time to improve.
Do you think FURIA can return to winning ways at BLAST Open Rotterdam? Discuss that, and more, on Insider Gaming’s Discord!
For more interview content, see our interview with Vitality coach, Rémy ‘XTQZZZ’ Quoniam!
Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.
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