András ‘coolio’ Fercsák’s FUT’s young roster has emerged as a serious contender in Counter-Strike following a period of rapid development that saw FUT win its first big trophy at PGL Bucharest.
However, FUT’s momentum is somewhat interrupted at BLAST Rivals Fort Worth, with Laurențiu ‘lauNX’ Țârlea missing the event due to illness.
Insider Gaming spoke to FUT’s Head Coach about LauNX’s absence, FUT’s meteoric rise, and why their in-your-face playstyle has more depth than it appears to have at first glance.
We got the news when we were on the plane already.
coolio on LauNX missing BLAST Rivals Fort Worth
You’re going into this event missing LauNX. What’s your approach to this event?
Yeah, it’s a bit weird feeling to be honest. We got the news when we were on the plane already. So, it was a bit shocking news because we had high expectations coming into this event. So, now I have to step in, and we have a hard game versus Vitality first. So, it’s going to be probably fun to play against them for me.
It’s hard to set up any expectations, to be honest, because I’m playing and we don’t really know what to expect. Luckily, I sometimes play some deathmatch, and I was a player. So, it’s maybe I can have a good day and something good can happen.
But like versus Vitality, it’s like no one can really beat them, so it’s not that easy. But for the second game, let’s say we lose, then I think we can put up a good fight even when I’m playing. But it’s hard to say something because you never know what’s going to happen.
Have you been doing some aim training? Are you ready to dominate individually?
Like, to be honest, like I arrived yesterday, I played like two hours of deathmatch. Today, I woke up at 6 AM and from 7 AM I was playing three hours of deathmatch. I played one FACEIT. I played aim bots, KZ, and then I played two scrims with the team.
So, I’m trying to be in shape for tomorrow. That’s all I’m doing.
I think even if we lose and go out of the tournament, it’s not going to break our momentum or something. I think we are a stronger team than that.
coolio on Playing BLAST Rivals Fort Worth Without LauNX
So, in terms of LauNX, he’s been a revelation coming into this team. He wasn’t part of the NAVI Junior roster. What would you say he’s added to the roster?
Yeah, like I think he brings a lot of firepower. I think when it comes to LAN events, he’s bringing a good mood, a hype, he’s screaming so much, having fun.
And basically, makazze was the guy who was bringing energy and hype, but we didn’t play a LAN with him. So, it’s a bit different. But LauNX is also trying to hype up the team. When we are playing LAN, we are making jokes with him.
So, it’s not an easy position to feel for me because I feel like tomorrow, the scream is going to miss a little bit. Maybe I have to scream like, but yeah, I think that’s what he’s bringing to the team.
It feels like you guys are growing at such a quick rate. Do you feel like it’s a loss of momentum to have LauNX missing this tournament?
I think our team will handle it well. And yeah, we were growing, and we had better results event by event. So, I think this would be a good event for us to check where we are right now, especially to face Vitality.
We were training so hard before this event. We wanted to do really well, but this is something we can’t really control.
Health is more important. So, we understand, and we hope that he will be good. I don’t know, actually, what’s happening right now with him. I just hope he’s doing good, and he’s resting. Then, as far as I know, he will be with us for Atlanta.
But, like, I think even if we lose and go out of the tournament, it’s not going to break our momentum or something. I think we are a stronger team than that.
Nobody in our team thinks that we are top three or top four right now because we are in that ranking.
Coolio on FUT staying grounded
Why do you think it’s been so easy for you guys to acclimatise to LAN? Even the stage at Pro League didn’t seem to phase you?
I think, like, it’s a new generation. I think these guys, also me, I’m pretty young as a coach, but I think these guys are just learning faster and growing faster compared to the older generation.
I think when you are going to LAN, you are always there, you see each other, you create a habit, you have a routine: how you approach the games, how you prepare for the games, what to eat, how you spend time with the team.
It’s making the team much closer. You know each other more, you spend more time with your team and your family. So, basically, in our team, we have a really good vibe in the team. We are friends also, so we enjoy spending time together.
I think it makes it easier because we are travelling a lot and this is something new for us. But, like, when it comes to stage, it’s hard to say because we only played Pro League, and it was a pretty small arena. Like, there were 200 people, which was really good.
We enjoyed playing there. I really want to see also to go to a big arena, we’re gonna play there. Maybe we will have some shake in the beginning, but I think, like, my guys handle it really well. I think we can, I can say we can play without the pressure many times.
Like, you don’t feel that we are making mistakes because there is some pressure. At the beginning of the year, it was, and we lost many games because of that. We just couldn’t close the game, or we were scared to move because we didn’t want to die of something.
But, like, we have this aggressive style also, we like to take the duels, we like to control the game, and it requires making decisions and going into their face.
So, I think it can also help us because our style is taking so many duels, going into the fights, and you don’t really have time to think, and just hold an angle.
When you are holding an angle and waiting, you can feel some pressure. Maybe your teammates are dying, but here we are trying to control everything. And when you control things, you have kind of no time to think about it, and it’s just going with the flow.
So, yeah, that’s how I see it.
Look at Parivision. We are kind of the same. They did well, and now they start losing. We did well, and you don’t know what’s coming now, but we are working as much as we can to stay here.
Coolio on FUT’s ambition to stay in the top 10
The majority of the team used to be the NAVI Junior team. How does it feel to be in contention with your former senior team for placement at these Tier 1 events?
We are not really thinking about it. I think sometimes we just talk about it, that it’s crazy where we are right now with rankings, but we’re also trying to stay grounded.
Nobody in our team thinks that we are top three or top four right now because we are in that ranking. I think we can put up a good fight against all the teams.
I think if we have a really good day, we can even beat NAVI. I’m not sure about Vitality. I don’t want to say something crazy, but I think we have such good firepower. I think we are gaining experience because we play so many events, and I think everyone is trying to improve.
We are fixing mistakes also outside of the server, inside of the server, but we know that we can also lose it, so it’s not like we are top four right now in VRS ranking, and we are just coming to events with ego and thinking, ‘We’re going to win.’ Like, no.
Like, whoever we face, we take it seriously. We don’t want to get out of this circle. We want to play all these events.
We want to be in the top ten, and we don’t want to go out. So, there is no space to rest, you know? When we are practicing, and we are playing officials, we are doing the best we can do.
And even if we play versus a team that has no ranking, we will play how we have to play because you can’t underestimate anyone, and you can’t take any game without being serious. So, that’s what we are trying to do right now.
But also, we understand, like, we can lose, you know, we can get out of this also. It can happen. Look at Parivision. We are kind of the same. They did well, and now they start losing. We did well, and you don’t know what’s coming now, but we are working as much as we can to stay here.
When it comes to trading situations and mid-round chaotic situations, we really have the chemistry, and we know where to look, where to aim, and that’s why this aggressive style also fits us.
Coolio on FUT’s aggressive playstyle
How would you describe yourself as a coach?
I think it’s also changing. Like, in NAVI Junior, I had to do everything that you can imagine. Like, I built up the lineup. I built up the schedule. I brought the tactics we had. All the ideas we did were mine.
I had to take care of people individually, both inside and outside of the server. So, I had so many things to do. And it also helped me to grow as a person because that was my first job as a coach.
Right now, it’s a bit different. I have an assistant coach who is helping me a lot with preparation and game stuff. It’s easier. But also, the players improved a lot. So, they have more ideas. They have some things to add.
But still, I’m a guy who is controlling most of the things. So, basically, everything goes through me. So, when we add new strats, new plan, new ideas, it’s me who is saying, ‘Okay, we can do that.”
When it comes to game and how I’m working with Krabeni, let’s say, he has a freedom also with calling. We have a really good dynamic.
Most of the game you see from us, it’s my ideas. But when it comes to officials, sometimes he’s calling on the fly, and he’s so good at it. And also, mid-round, it’s his decisions. I mean, we are talking about it. We are doing a lot of rewatching and stuff, but I think we have a really good dynamic in how we are approaching the game.
I’m just trying to improve, also. I would say I was a really tactical guy in NAVI Junior. Still, I’m a tactical coach, but I think I’m also improving and have improved a lot when it comes to mental stuff.
I think it’s rare in CS industry that coaches are good at both, so I’m trying to be good at both, because I think it’s rare and I’m young. I like to, like, learn and just be better.
Even back at NAVI Junior, people would say you shoot hard, but not many people talked about your map manipulation, your protocols. Do you feel people misunderstand your strengths?
Yes. I have so many interviews nowadays, and I mention it always. But people think that we are just running and shooting. I mean, maybe in a way, yes.
But we are abusing so much stuff, and I think people still don’t understand what we are abusing and why we do things.
When it comes to preparation going into the game, yes, we analyse the opponent, we analyse ourselves, and we know what we want to do.
We have our philosophy, what we are focusing on, which I’m not going to tell you, but we have a really good structure. We know what we want to do, and maybe it seems like we are aggressive and going into the fight, but everything is set, and we know why we do things.
The players really understand each other because we have been playing together for a long time. So, when it comes to trading situations and mid-round chaotic situations, we really have the chemistry, and we know where to look, where to aim, and that’s why this aggressive style also fits us.
if we make it to Stage 3, where it’s best of threes, and I think we have a chance to be in the playoffs.
Coolio on FUT’s Cologne Major chances
Speaking of getting to big arenas, do you think that is possible at the Cologne Major?
I don’t like to say that we will be in the playoffs or that we have a good chance to be there because we start on Stage 2. Two best-of-ones in the beginning. If we have a bad day, we can easily go 0-2, which can make the run a bit harder.
But I would say, if you look at NAVI Junior and if you look at FUT, whenever we faced a team that is lower rank than us, we always won, like, maybe not always, but like 95-98% of the time if you check some statistics.
I think this is a really good thing we have because whenever we play a lower team, we know that we can easily win. We are able to play in this position. But right now we are in the top four, so it has changed.
We always have the upper hand, and it can also create some pressure because many times we are underdogs and we just come and win. But as I said, we start in Stage 2, two best-of-ones. I hope we can start strong.
And then I think if we make it to Stage 3, where it’s best of threes, and I think we have a chance to be in the playoffs. But, like, it’s also a question of how long else it’s going to be, which I don’t know right now. I really hope he will come back because we really need him in Atlanta to do well.
This [IEM Atlanta] is our last event before the Major, so it would be really good to play with him because we also need to get some data to see where we have to improve our new things, how it is working, and stuff like that.
In Atlanta, we can also go to the arena. I think we are one of the best teams there. So we should get some experience because if we’re going to the Major and somehow we make it to the arena, I mean, Stage 3 is already an arena, but not the big one. But we have to be ready for that one.
I also hope that we make the playoffs here. We just have to win one game, and even though I’m playing, my four players can also get the experience, so it would be nice to make it to the playoffs.
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For more CS interviews, see our interview with NAVI IGL aleksib.
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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