What to expect from FURIA versus Grayhound

While we have gotten a glimpse at some of the new look rosters such as LIquid and Complexity last week at BLAST Fall Groups, there are some big-name teams that are yet to take to the server with their new rosters. One such team is FURIA, with the Brazilians adding Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo and Marcelo "chelo" Cespedes to their ranks in the most recent offseason. With their opening clash against Aussie side Grayhound set to kick off tomorrow, we take a look at how you could expect this affair to shape up.

Let the era of FURIA FalleN begin

It's hard to say what exactly you can expect from this FURIA lineup heading into the new season considering the astronomical changes they have undergone. Not only have they swapped out two players, but there will be a fundamental change with how they approach the game considering the way FalleN plays the game. Adopting the AWPing IGL role, the legendary Brazilian has a comparatively passive style of calling compared to the hyper-aggressive Andrei “arT” Piovezan, begging the question "How will FURIA's core adapt to a new leader at the helm?"

• FalleN led Imperial to a strong 3rd-4th place finish at BLAST Spring Finals

• arT will have to learn how to play in someone else's system

• KSCERATO and yuurih may benefit from a more passive style

Grayhound remain unchanged

As for their opponents, Grayhound are one of the few teams in attendance at IEM Cologne that have an unaltered roster from last season. Opting to avoid changes, Grayhound had some solid results in the first half of the year, with a 2-3 record in the Challengers stage of the BLAST.tv Paris Major coming as a high point as they narrowly missed out on the Legends stage.

• Ended the season by winning ESL Australia & NZ Championship Season 16

• Vexite is their shining star at just 18 years old

• Grayhound have upset tier one teams in the past

Previous Matchups

Surprisingly, this will be the first-ever meeting between the two organizations. Despite that, the boys from the land down under have come head-to-head with FalleN and chelo before, losing 2-0 to Imperial back at ESL Challenger Melbourne in September 2022.

Likely Vetoes

It will be interesting to see where FURIA go in this veto. Traditionally permabanning Overpass, the German-based map has been a staple of FalleN's repertoire throughout his career overall. Alas, it might not even matter as Grayhound also permaban the map.

• FURIA bans Ancient

• Grayhound bans Overpass

• FURIA bans Nuke

• Grayhound bans Anubis

• FURIA bans Inferno

• Grayhound bans Mirage

• Vertigo is left over

Despite being a new roster, FURIA is still heavily favored by the bookmakers, with 1.25 odds in comparison to Grayhound's 3.55