While there are still plenty of dominoes to fall in the ALGS world, not many saw this one coming. FURIA announced the release of its roster today, with all three of Albralelie, Pandxrz, and Xera leaving the org’s competitive Apex Legends team.
The move comes in the wake of Luminosity Gaming doing something similar days ago. Both orgs are partnered with the ALGS for the upcoming season, and both seemed to have settled and stable rosters that were ready to compete for LAN qualification and beyond. But FURIA pulled the trigger early today, releasing its full competitive roster. The common assumption for both organizations is that the moves pave the way to sign different teams ahead of the first split of the ALGS Pro League, beginning in the new year.
Notably, the move means FURIA no longer contains any members from its magical run through the Last Chance Qualifiers in 2022 and all the way to second place at the year two ALGS Championship. While HisWattson moved to content creation last season, Pandxrz and Xera completed the team, enabling a highly aggressive playstyle. Albralelie needs no plaudits from most ALGS fans as the former TSM member has been one of the most high-profile journeymen in the scene since leaving the org he once dominated with, including stints with Team Liquid, Cloud9, and FaZe.
In a statement to Dot Esports, FURIA head coach Jxmo (formerly known as PVPX) indicated he’d be staying with the team while citing a lack of cohesion among the three players as the main culprit for the team being let go. In a post on Twitter/X, the coach sang the praises of all three players, noting their talent and willingness to work together as a team. “Unfortunately, sometimes things just don’t work out on a roster but it’s no fault of anyone individually,” Jxmo said in the post.
With that said, all three players will likely be hot commodities as orgs look to finalize their rosters heading into the Pro League. Of the three, Pandxrz likely stands out as the player many teams will look at as he’s long been considered one of the best fraggers and controller players in North America. Xera and Albralelie are sure to get looks as well in support, refrag, and even co-IGL roles.
As for FURIA, there are plenty of tempting rosters to choose from in North America. The obvious name on everyone’s lips is Sweet, the former NRG player who has teased himself and his new team (featuring former NRG teammate nafen) signing to a new org. But there are also several other options with guaranteed Pro League spots for next year, like free agent squad League of Legends made up of ex-FaZe and -DarkZero members Phony, Frexs, and Xynew, or even a team like Already There, featuring ImMadness, Keon, and Vaxlon.
Whatever direction FURIA ends up taking, it’s sure to be another wild twist in the ALGS offseason.
