AleksiB on FURIA: “Their unorthodox style is refreshing—and fun to play against”

After Natus Vincere edged past The MongolZ in a scrappy semi-final at the Thunderpick World Championship 2025, Aleksandr “AleksiB” Virolainen praised FURIA’s distinctive approach ahead of their grand final clash. “They are our friends and we like to watch their style,” NAVI’s IGL told HLTV. “When you watch CS and some team’s playing a style that’s maybe a bit more unorthodox, it’s always nice to watch. They have that.” He highlighted Danil “molodoy” Golubenko’s rise as a “combat AWPer” and credited Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis and Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo as likely architects of many of FURIA’s layered fakes: “It’s refreshing CS to see and it’s exciting to play a BO5 against them.” 

NAVI reached that final by surviving a mistake-ridden 2–1 over The MongolZ—stealing Mirage after trailing 2–7, getting blown out on Nuke, and stabilizing late on Ancient thanks to a pivotal “hero AK” round that AleksiB himself called “the most crucial to win the map.” 

FURIA, meanwhile, punched their ticket by sweeping Aurora 2–0, setting up the first meeting of these lineups in their current forms: NAVI under AleksiB versus a rejuvenated FURIA led by FalleN and turbo-charged by YEKINDAR and molodoy. 

What happened next: FURIA’s epic reverse-sweep and KSCERATO’s first MVP

The final delivered—and then some. FURIA stormed back from 0–2 down to beat NAVI 3–2 in Malta, claiming their second LAN trophy in a month and cementing themselves as genuine Major contenders. Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato earned his long-awaited first HLTV x 1xBet MVP for a consistently high-impact campaign, later summing it up simply: “First MVP, I’m so happy. Everything in God’s time, you know?” 

Why AleksiB’s read matters

AleksiB’s comments about FURIA’s “unorthodox” identity line up with the team’s broader 2025 arc. After YEKINDAR arrived (first as a stand-in, later permanently), FURIA leaned into a faster, deception-heavy style—complete with fresh CT concepts and a more proactive AWP in molodoy. Even YEKINDAR admitted they had to tune confidence levels after early highs, reflecting the ongoing evolution of the project. 

Background notes on this FURIA roster

YEKINDAR’s journey to full transfer: Initially a stand-in in April, later signed permanently in July 2025 (reported contract through summer 2027).

molodoy’s rapid rise: The young AWPer drew headlines and confidence-tinged quotes during FURIA’s autumn surge.