17-year-old dziugss: FUT targeting Cologne Major playoffs

At media day in Cologne, 17-year-old Džiugas ‘dziugss’ Steponavičius spoke about FUT’s objectives for the Major. He told reporters the team arrived early in the city to get accustomed to the venue and plans to compete for a playoff spot.

FUT enters the event ranked 13th in the world and arrived in Cologne on the back of a PGL Bucharest title. The roster is the youngest at the event and includes four players who feature near the top of prospect rankings, with dziugss listed first.

The team recorded disappointing results in two recent U.S. tournaments. With stand-in András ‘coolio’ Fercsák at BLAST Rivals, FUT finished last. At IEM Atlanta, when Laurențiu ‘lauNX’ Țârlea returned, the squad had limited practice time together and lost matches to B8 and paiN. Dziugss attributed those results to disrupted lineups and insufficient practice time rather than broader form issues.

In preparation for Cologne, FUT practiced remotely for about two weeks before arriving early at the venue. The team secured a practice room and spent four days getting used to the tournament PCs and setup, combining on-site scrims with their prior home sessions. Dziugss described practice as inconsistent: ‘sometimes we were struggling a bit, sometimes we were destroying the teams.’

On opposition focus and scouting, dziugss said he has not noticed significant anti-stratting directed at him and remains confident in his play. He called being ranked the number one prospect ‘nice, but it’s kind of nothing.’ He added that teammates joke about the ranking, citing cmtry’s banter, and that maintaining high performance is an individual responsibility after cmtry’s MVP display in Bucharest.

FUT’s stated target for the Cologne Major is to reach the playoffs. Dziugss said he would be ‘pretty happy’ with that result and described any further progress as an added bonus.

The team plans to use the early arrival and on-site practice to address the issues from the U.S. events and prepare for group-stage matches in Cologne.