FUT rallies with lauNX back to beat NRG at IEM Atlanta

FUT returned to IEM Atlanta on May 11, 2026 with star rifler Laurențiu “lauNX” Țârlea back in the lineup. The team erased a 3-10 deficit on Ancient to win 16-13 against hometown side NRG and finished the match with a 13-9 victory on Overpass.

lauNX missed BLAST Rivals for medical reasons. Coach András “coolio” Fercsák filled in at that event, where FUT lost to Vitality and Astralis but took a map off Vitality despite the absence. Earlier in 2026, the squad placed fourth at ESL Pro League Season 23 and won PGL Bucharest.

Captain Aulon “Krabeni” Fazlija said the team had little time to rebuild chemistry with lauNX after his break. He recalled they had not played together for “two weeks or more” and completed only two practice sessions the day before the match. The team also lacked PCs while lauNX was away.

On Ancient, FUT lost the opening pistol round but won the following force buy, a swing that disrupted NRG’s economy. Krabeni described falling behind 8-2 but urging the squad to take “one or two more rounds,” after which they chipped away at NRG’s lead and closed the map 16-13.

FUT took control early on Overpass and held enough momentum to finish 13-9. Krabeni closed out the match with an ace.

Krabeni recalled his reaction when lauNX announced the diagnosis, saying the team accepted having “nothing to lose” at BLAST Rivals and treated the event as a temporary stop while the player recovered. The official team target for the season is reaching the playoffs; Krabeni said his personal objective is to win.

The squad will not hold a bootcamp before the Major. Krabeni explained that after a previous three-week bootcamp, the team plans a lighter schedule with some days off and practice from home rather than an extended on-site camp.