FURIA became the first IEM Cologne Major finalist with a dominant 2-0 (13-9, 13-4) victory over Aurora in yesterday's semifinal, setting the scene for an epic finish to the FalleN Counter-Strike saga.
It's almost 10 years to the day since SK Gaming, led by FalleN, claimed the last Cologne Major trophy. The Professor has the chance to do it again in his penultimate major, and superstar KSCERATO wants nothing more than to send his captain, his teammate, and his friend out a champ.
DFRAG spoke to KSCERATO once again following the semifinal win to talk about what else is driving this squad to a potential first major, and what it means to him and teammate yuurih as they prepare to take the mantle of Brazilian CS trailblazers into the future.
Congratulations on today's win, and on qualifying for your first major final. It's perfect given it's 10 years on from the last Cologne Major where Brazilians SK Gaming took the title; what does it mean for you?
"Yes, Brazil lifting the trophy here 10 years ago at a major, I'm very happy to be in the final here. It shows that the hard work and also building the will to do it was very important.
"I'm proud of myself and of my teammates because we've been working a lot and also we trust each other, it's amazing."
Dust 2 was a little bit shaky at the start but after that start you ran away with the map and then carried that momentum into Nuke. How much of this was about working on your mental and elements outside of the game?
"I mean, I just have the confidence and understanding that sometimes it's gonna work, sometimes it's not gonna work, and that's fine because I trust my teammates.
If I have a bad day, they have my back — that's the most important thing.
KSCERATO, FURIA
"Dust 2 was a little bit tough in the beginning. We lost the first gun round, then I did the 4K, [my teammates] drop for me and just said, 'go kill,' so I go kill. [It's] pretty amazing the confidence that we have each other."
This performance has been a flip on what we saw last season with your form at the end of 2025, but then into this year where you guys fell a bit flat in the quarterfinals. How important is it that you guys are firing at 100% when it matters most?
"It feels good. think that the stars are aligning sometimes and that's amazing. Everyone is playing very good in the scene. Many multikills for everyone: YEKINDAR, molodoy, yuurih... everyone is playing very good. When you need it, they're there."
Now you face a best-of-five with the Professor on your side, FalleN, who has only lost one best-of-five in the last 10 years. Given his form in the big finals, your form now, and FURIA's deep map pool, does it matter who you go up against in this final?
I think it's about us, not about them. We [have] to focus on ourselves, prepare ourselves for them. We'll be at war now, they will match us. So yeah, that's how it can go. I'm really happy. Let's see tomorrow.
All the talk has been about this being FalleN's final IEM Cologne, and that going forward it'll be the Brazilians like you and yuurih carrying the torch forward for Brazilian Counter-Strike. Is it an honour to be here for him, and for you as the figureheads of the region?
"I'm really proud of what he achieved and what he taught me. It's been a while [that] I know him, it's been a while; we've faced each other for so many times.
In CS 1.6, I lost to him. CrossFire, I lost to him. CS:GO, I lost to him. In CS2, we play together and we win.
KSCERATO, FURIA
It's definitely an honor. It's an honor to play with him, it's an honor to be on his side and be his last teammate. So I'm pretty happy to have him.
FURIA takes on Falcons in the grand final of the IEM Cologne Major tonight at 1am AEST. Stay tuned to dfrag.gg and our revamped YouTube channel for more coverage of the major, live from the Cathedral of Counter-Strike itself.
Interview conducted by N3bu1a. Edited and published by Nicholas "Taffy" Taifalos
