As an organization, Imperial don’t quite have the rich history compared to some of the other teams at the Major. They were first established in 2018 and mostly found success in South American competitions, with little exposure outside of their home region.
Come February 2022, however, everything changed when the organization announced the signing of the all-Brazilian lineup, dubbed as the ‘Last Dance’. The squad was built around the reunion of the two-time 2016 Major-winning trio in Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, Fernando “fer” Alvarenga, and Lincoln “fnx” Lau, who were joined by former teammate Ricardo “boltz” Prass and ex-FURIA player Vinicius “VINI” Figueiredo.
The project instantly garnered massive support by the Brazilian community, as it brought back an ever-iconic trio from the country’s most successful period in CS:GO. A fourth player of that lineup, Marcelo “coldzera” David, was also reported to join his three former teammates initially, but it was believed that he decided to go another way because of personal differences.
Imperial went into their first-ever Major, PGL Antwerp, and finished in a remarkable 9-11th place, just barely missing out on a playoff spot. The team have gained a plethora of experience against some of the world’s best in the months leading up to IEM Rio, and even bagged a strong second-place finish at ESL Challenger Melbourne.
Their path to the IEM Rio Major, the first ever to take place in Brazil and as such an ever-important goal for a team so well loved in the South American country, was anything but straightforward. The team faced elimination from the Regional Major Ranking tournament after just three matches. Nevertheless, Imperial fought tooth-and-nail to stay alive and in the final match of the competition, the Brazilians scored an emotional victory over Complexity to earn the last Major spot on offer.
With the unwavering support of their fellow countrymen behind them, FalleN‘s squad will undoubtedly play their hearts out in front of their home crowd when the Major comes around.
A wealth of Major experience
The Brazilian organization will be attending only its second-ever CS:GO Major at IEM Rio, their first appearance being at PGL Antwerp. In the Challengers Stage at Antwerp, the Brazilian outfit were one defeat away from getting knocked out after losing two of their first three matches. Even with the odds stacked against them, FalleN and company pulled off a remarkable escape and won their next two series to qualify for the Legends Stage at Antwerp. Though lightning didn’t strike twice and Imperial failed to progress to the playoffs, it took nothing away from the impressive determination put on display by a roster which, at the time, had only been competing together for over two months and for which expectations had been mixed.
FalleN, fnx, and fer are three of the most successful Brazilian players of all time
Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes is the newest member of the lineup, taking up fnx‘s spot on the roster after the 32-year-old decided to step away from playing and shifted to a content creator and coaching role. He reached the PGL Major Antwerp Challengers Stage with MIBR, but the team failed to progress further after losing to Bad News Eagles in the deciding match.
VINI and boltz have both reached the Valve-sanctioned competition’s playoff stage in the past. VINI attained his best-ever finish at the PGL Major Stockholm, where his FURIA side reached the tournament’s quarter-finals. boltz was part of the 2017 Immortals roster that made it all the way to the PGL Major Krakow grand final. In addition to his runner-up placing at Krakow, the 25-year-old had a fruitful 2015 campaign as he reached the quarter-finals in all three Majors held that year alongside current teammates FalleN and fer.
The lineup’s main stars are the pair of FalleN and fer, who are best known for their time as part of the former Luminosity/SK lineup that took home consecutive Major titles in 2016 — a feat that at the time only fnatic had been able to achieve. The duo, alongside coach fnx, are the most experienced members of the team and among Brazil’s most decorated players of all time. From 2016 to 2017, they garnered 12 trophies including two Majors in the former year and were named two of the best players in the top 20 ranking, with FalleN finishing in second and sixth place and fer in fifteenth and third place.
More than just another team
At face value, Imperial may just seem like a mix of experienced champions and hungry competitors, but this doesn’t do justice to what they truly mean for the community — especially for their ever-passionate Brazilian home crowd. Though they have been far from their former championship-winning level at tier one events, their veterans’ extensive legacy alone made them the most universally loved team in Brazil, and sparks of brilliance of the past have only given their fans more fuel.
Aptly nicknamed the ‘godfather of Brazilian Counter-Strike,’ FalleN is undoubtedly the heart and soul of the team, and his shotcalling prowess makes him one of the most respected in-game leaders in the scene. His impact on the server doesn’t stop there, either, as he also serves as his team’s primary AWPer and often reminds people why he was once recognized as one of the most skilled players to ever pick up the sniper rifle.
“I have already been playing for two months with him and with every match or practice that we have I learn something new,” chelo said when asked about his time under FalleN‘s leadership. “We are getting a lot of experience I think, and the time playing with him has given me the best moments of my life.”
chelo was full of praise for his in-game leader
chelo and fer have been two of the Brazilian side’s best players statistically so far. The 24-year-old joined the team only two months ago, but he immediately made his presence felt at Imperial‘s ESL Challenger Melbourne campaign, where they not only placed second overall but chelo also finished as the second-highest-rated player of the event. For fer, he may be one of the oldest players on the squad, but the veteran rifler hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down and remains one of Imperial‘s most reliable assets.
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chelo: “Playing with FalleN has given me the best moments of my life”
boltz and VINI have taken on more supportive roles, always willing to pick up the dirty work and provide assistance for any given situation. Though they have the two lowest ratings on the team, their numbers don’t account for the intangibles they offer on the server — be it a round-defining lurk, high-impact utility usage, or simply gathering crucial information. These often-overlooked details determine whether or not Imperial come out on top or crash and burn round after round.
A rocky road to Rio
The events Imperial participated in following the team’s creation weren’t exactly walks in the park — in fact, the Brazilians often struggled against higher-ranked opposition. They showed strong peaks at the PGL Major Antwerp, but immediately struggled in the events following the Valve-sanctioned event.
Imperial suffered an early exit after failing to pick up a single win at their next LAN event, IEM Dallas, and they continued to bomb out of events in their early stages for the succeeding tournaments. FalleN and company’s final competition ahead of the summer break was the IEM Cologne Play-In, where they missed out on a spot at the main tournament after falling to fellow Brazilian side 00NATION.
Things weren’t going Imperial’s way ahead of the summer break
But when chelo took over fnx‘s spot and joined the team from MIBR over the month-long break, it signaled a new era for FalleN‘s crew. The new signing was certainly a breath of fresh air for Imperial, bringing some much-needed firepower.
Imperial‘s rejuvenated team finished in second place at ESL Challenger Melbourne, which gave the Brazilians a sizable momentum boost ahead of the Americas qualifier for Rio. They drew first blood and picked up a win on their opener against Isurus, but quickly fell behind after successive losses to 9z and 00NATION. The situation wasn’t favorable for Imperial, but that didn’t dishearten them one bit.
Four best-of-three victories stood between Imperial and IEM Rio, and against all odds they found themselves in the sixth-place decider against Complexity after dispatching of TeamOne, Nouns, and paiN. The first map went the Brazilians’ way, but Johnny “JT” Theodosiou‘s men struck back in the second and forced an all-or-nothing decider on Overpass. Both sides were inseparable at the end of regulation, which sent the map to extra time. Two overtimes, a 40-bomb from chelo, and more individual briliance from FalleN later, Imperial had done it. They took home the 2-1 series win over Complexity and achieved their goal of securing a spot at their home Major.
The players couldn’t hold back their emotions after qualifying for the Major
It came as a massive relief especially for fer, who shared that he experienced some personal problems ahead of the Americas RMR and even asked the team if he could stop playing CS altogether. “I did not even ask, I just told them that I couldn’t play anymore and that I was done, but they did not accept that,” fer explained.
“They just helped me a lot and that gave me a lot more hunger to play with them so this Major is going to be really special for me. There are no expectations for it, just to have fun and do our best, and if it’s going to be my last tournament, it would be really nice to play it with these guys.”
What does IEM Rio mean for Imperial?
IEM Rio won’t just be another top-tier event for Imperial, it will also mark the first time in history that any of these players will play at a CS:GO Major in front of their home crowd. FalleN‘s troops are one of three Brazilian teams competing, joining fellow countrymen FURIA and 00NATION who will also take part in the Challengers Stage.
A handful of title contenders found themselves stuck in the Challengers Stage after an underwhelming RMR, such as Cloud9 and Vitality. While this adds an extra level of difficulty in progressing through to the Legends Stage, fer mentioned that the team did not have any expectations for the Major, and they will just do their best and have fun. This mindset gives Imperial a lot of room to breathe, stay composed, and just take in the experience of playing on home soil while giving everyone a good show.
If it’s going to be my last tournament, it would be really nice to play it with these guys.
Imperial‘s two multiple-time Major winners FalleN and fer will aim to put their experience to good use as the team faces an uphill battle in their first match of the tournament, which will be against ESL Pro League Season 16 champions Vitality. If one thing can be taken from their Antwerp campaign, though, it’s that one should never count out the Brazilians’ heart and determination to triumph against any adversary.
It seems that the final result is not the main objective for the team, though. The chance to play in front of their loving fans seems enough for fer and FalleN, who have both talked about the possibility of retirement in the near future, hinting that this could be the way for the two veterans to go out with a bang — amongst friends and family, and with their entire country behind them.
Other IEM Rio Major team profiles
IEM Rio Major profile:
fnatic
IEM Rio Major profile:9z
IEM Rio Major profile:Bad News Eagles
IEM Rio Major profile:Outsiders
IEM Rio Major profile:IHC – To be released on October 22
FURIA – To be released on October 22
BIG – To be released on October 23
Ninjas in Pyjamas – To be released on October 23
Sprout – To be released on October 24
Grayhound – To be released on October 27
Liquid – To be released on October 27
Natus Vincere – To be released on October 29
Evil Geniuses – To be released on October 29
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