FalleN: Giant by thine own nature
By: Flashpoint Blog
Tags: Competition, Esport, Gaming

By Phoebe “Dualism” Dua

Photo by Flashpoint

Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo isn’t just a Counter-Strike player. He is one of the most influential figures in the entire scene. Some call him the Godfather of Brazilian CS. No one does, nor likely ever will, command more respect within the region than him after years of inspiring and enabling generations of talent. Leading by example with a ceiling that mirrors some of his brightest stars, FalleN’s upbringing being around São Paulo and his trajectory within Counter-Strike perfectly fits the city’s motto “Non ducor, duco” which translates from Latin to “I am not led, I lead.”

Ab initio

The original Counter-Strike was popular in Brazil, helped by the fact it could run on most computers at the time and became a staple of the LAN cafe landscape.

In a tale as old as time, FalleN was first introduced to Counter-Strike through his elder brother and while education and working with his parents fixing computers took up much of his days, FalleN would begin playing Counter-Strike in the evenings.

He competed throughout the 2000s, following in the footsteps of Brazil’s greatest 1.6 talent Raphael “cogu” Camargo, and towards the end of the decade, FalleN was crowned Brazil’s sniper of the year by TeamPlay.com.br in 2009 thanks to his flashy and snappy firepower with the AWP. He went on to claim the same accolade for two further years as well as being regarded as the best overall player. cogu owned the decade but the future was in FalleN’s hands.

FireGamers were Brazil’s best team at the time and included Renato “nak” Nakano and Lincoln “fnx” Lau. With FalleN on the roster, the team beat MIBR in the Brazilian qualifier for the World Cyber Games 2009 and went on to win the 2010 Pan-American Championship over Evil Geniuses. They would go on to best EG again the following week at the Intel Extreme Masters Season V American Championship Finals while under Complexity Gaming.

Joining FireGamers saw FalleN choose competitive gaming over further education in 2012 and his dedication to the game was unquestionable from the outset. In the same year, Games Academy was founded. GA provided Counter-Strike lessons taught by FalleN himself to fellow Brazilian players and became an organisation that used its money to fund tournaments in Brazil at a time where the country didn’t even have its own CS:GO server.

It was with PlayArt that FalleN made the leap to Global Offensive after a year of competing in 1.6 under the organisation. This early period of GO would also eventually see FalleN transition into a position of leadership after years of being a star player.

Carpe diem

The early years of GO saw FalleN competing in numerous Brazilian tournaments and qualifiers, never shying away from facing off against far stronger opposition. The MLG X Games Aspen Invitational saw Cloud9 humbled by a 16–4 result on the Brazilians’ familiar stomping ground of Mirage while Clutch Con 2015 saw them take the same map off of Fnatic 16–7 before losing the next two maps 16–5, 16–0. Upsets against even some of the strongest teams meant the scene began to take notice of the rising Brazilians.

While under KaBuM.TD, FalleN organised crowdfunding to get his team to Poland for the LAN qualifier of the ESL One Katowice 2015 Major. In the end, thousands of dollars in donations from Brazil and beyond as well as from fellow pros such as Robin “flusha” Rönnquist and ESEA allowed the team to continue on their Major journey and accept the invitation.

An initial loss to mousesports saw KaBuM fightback through the lower bracket against INSHOCK and Team Dignitas. The organisation and the players parted ways, with Keyd Stars signing the team before the main event.

Map pool depth and ability to handle more experienced opposition were questioned but FalleN answered as the team claimed a Legends spot and he finished as the team’s second best performer.

Around this time, Ricardo “dead” Sinigaglia was able to house the squad in North America, allowing the team to compete among a stronger set of teams than in their home region.

Photo by Flashpoint

Veni, vidi, vici

FalleN’s squad left Keyd Stars in the summer of 2015 to join Luminosity Gaming. Upon departing, FalleN thanked the Brazilian organisation for its investment into and support of the local scene. His own investment would also see returns around this time.

The former Dexterity Team, calling themselves Não Tem Como, participated in the Golden Chance, an event organised by Games Academy with a grand prize that would give the winning roster the chance to play under the brand and move to the US for a year.

This lineup included fnx and Epitácio “TACO” de Melo and both players were recruited into LG ahead of 2016. Marcelo “coldzera” David had also been part of Dexterity Team but he was recruited by FalleN ahead of the remaining players’ participation in the Golden Chance. Luminosity Gaming had reached the point at which it could begin to truly contest for titles.

The fresh roster for the FACEIT 2015 Stage 3 Finals at DreamHack Open Winter 2015 led to an instant honeymoon period, resulting in a first international grand final finish for LG. This trend continued on an upward trajectory heading into the following year and even before his greatest GO triumphs, FalleN was voted Brazil’s most influential person in esports by MyCNB and continued to be highly regarded by those that played with and against him.

It was under LG with this roster that FalleN was able to make history at the first North American CS:GO Major. Previous attempts with older lineups had remained unable to claim best-of-three victories in the initial playoff matches, hindering attempts to make deep Major runs.

The MLG Major Championship: Columbus 2016 group stage against Ninjas in Pyjamas with a stand-in allowed LG to breeze through to the playoffs. One of CS:GO’s most iconic moments against Team Liquid saw coldzera’s jumping double AWP swing the odds in LG’s favour in the semi final before they faced off against Natus Vincere, dominating on the second map to take the grand final in 2–0 fashion.

LG became the first team from outside of Western Europe to win a Major, achieving a feat that the likes of Natus Vincere are still yet to accomplish.

While many smaller regions have struggled to match the more experienced and competitive ones, Brazil’s rise to not just relevance but dominance was led by FalleN. Now based in the US and able to compete with and beat elite teams, Brazil had once again been put on the Counter-Strike map.

A contentious transfer to SK Gaming saw FalleN’s team replaced in the first season of ELEAGUE and LG disputing the deal after letters of intent were signed by the Brazilians to continue under its banner until 2018. These were later dismissed and the players were able to continue on together under SK.

A Brazilian era was cemented alongside a second Major title earned at ESL One Cologne 2016 and SK were one of the best teams in the world even with the departure of fnx. FalleN individually finished the year as the second best player behind coldzera, as an unexpected dominant duo stunning those they faced on their meteoric rise to prominence.

With Ricardo “fox” Pacheco as a stand-in, SK were able to make a deep run at the ELEAGUE Atlanta 2017 Major stopped only by Virtus.pro just as Keyd Stars’ Katowice run was two years previously.

João “felps” Vasconcellos was the player eventually chosen to succeed fnx and with the new lineup, SK reclaimed the top spot and had a further run of success in 2017.

The trio of SK, G2 and FaZe were each other’s Kryptonite while Astralis continued to secure consistent top four finishes. At the end of the year, SK were able to deny FaZe an era by claiming trophies at EPICENTER 2017, BLAST Pro Series: Copenhagen 2017 and the ESL Pro League Season 6 Finals after Ricardo “boltz” Prass joined the roster.

Once again, coldzera remained the world’s best player while FalleN had to settle for sixth as FaZe superstar Nikola “NiKo” Kovač took second and long-time teammate Fernando “fer” Alvarenga snuck onto the podium after an incredible year of performance.

De novo

ELEAGUE Boston Major 2018 saw SK use a stand-in once again with felps recalled to active lineup duty, but the team’s sights were instead set on WESG where they could use their full roster. Despite this, the team secured a respectable top four finish in Boston while a group stage exit to BIG and Team Russia saw SK finish 17–22nd in Haikou.

In the wake of WESG disappointment, SK stunned the scene by signing Jacky “Stewie2K” Yip from the Major-winning Cloud9 roster. This was seen as a blow to the North American organisation but was also a poison chalice for the Brazilians. The team without TACO failed to find success beyond humble victories at the Adrenaline Cyber League 2018 and Moche XL Esports. A semi final finish at ESL One Belo Horizonte 2018 was the final notable result under SK Gaming.

FalleN and co. were bought out by Immortals and the old MIBR brand was resurrected to house them. After one event in the new jerseys, another Cloud9 alumni in the form of Tarik “tarik” Celik joined the team.

Scandinavia once again ruled and even with a new lick of MIBR paint, the team lacked punch in the server despite the firepower on paper. ZOTAC Cup Masters 2018 was the only title to their name and FalleN was able to scoop up a fourth MVP medal but it was a far cry from the Majors and big stage victories the Brazilians had been more than capable of in previous months.

A mutiny from his own star player saw a leadership crisis among a wider pool of issues for the team including trying to slot the all-American players in Brazilian-shaped holes. Even with Janko “YNk” Paunović at the reins as coach, the American experiment ended in failure, leading to the old SK Gaming roster including felps reuniting.

2019 was a new year but the same problems continued to plague MIBR. The signs of life were fading fast and by the StarLadder Berlin Major in the middle of the year, a streak of 10 consecutive Legends spots ended at the hands of ENCE, G2 and NAVI.

This came after a summer that saw fellow Brazilian roster FURIA rise up in similar fashion to how FalleN had in the past. Unlike other LG rosters or Immortals, FURIA were here to stay and the organisation was serious about holding onto the talent it had nurtured. The signing of long-term contracts lasting until 2024 made any possible scouting for a future in MIBR not impossible, but far more expensive than before.

The Brazilian identity that first helped the team rise and shake up the scene is now its curse. Another international experiment in the form of Argentinian neighbour Ignacio “meyern” Meyer also failed. While the youngster looked promising on Sharks Esports, the 17-year-old struggled to adapt to the MIBR system and the expectation on his shoulders.

With few domestic options, it was TeamOne’s relatively unknown Alencar “trk” Rossato who was taken under FalleN’s wing for the near future.

Facta, non verba

Any player in the region would give a lot to play under FalleN but the overall state of MIBR and other organisations locking down their talent to prevent this leaves few options.

Vito “kNgV-” Giuseppe has had his redemption arc under MIBR but is yet to be truly challenged by the elite tier teams. His current form is promising and secures his place within the roster.

The trio at its core are once again under the microscope. fer and FalleN’s shared history spans years and TACO has already been cast out only to be brought back previously. Flashpoint 1 showed promise and before the event, many would have already written off the team with little expectation of a strong performance.

Instead, MIBR came out swinging, with fer and FalleN the fourth and sixth best performers at the event overall. While TACO didn’t set the scoreboard on fire, he performed his role and alongside a respectable showing from meyern, the entire MIBR team showed the form they should be in on a regular basis.

In order to qualify for the next Major after taking hefty point reductions due to roster change rules, MIBR will need to be in exceptional form and find consistency. If MIBR failed to qualify for ESL One Rio, it would be a huge blow to the Brazilian scene and its fans.

As a nation with a strong passion for sport and competition, this has transferred over to esports in every way. For Brazil’s most beloved figure, absence from its first Major would be nothing short of a disaster.

A return to the glory days never seems impossible for FalleN. MIBR seems perpetually teetering on the cusp of greatness after a shaky start to 2020 but finally reaching steady form will be crucially important. No team can be successful while inconsistent, but MIBR’s current lowest lows see them bested by teams that have no business taking a map against a roster of their calibre.

The MIBR core has been in North America for many years and the region as a whole is currently having its own crisis. Veterans and rising stars alike are opting to check for themselves whether the grass is greener on the other side in Valorant. A player with FalleN’s knowledge and ability could be an earth-shattering move for the region and the player. However, it seems unlikely that FalleN would ever opt to entirely leave behind the region he has helped build up to what it is today.

Events like Belo Horizonte and DreamHack Open Rio de Janiero 2019, as well as the upcoming ESL One Rio Major, would not be taking place without the input of FalleN into Brazilian CS over numerous years. His legacy is secured and is reflected in the scene itself.

Author: Phoebe “Dualism” Dua. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Dualism97