molodoy's rise to the elite ranks of Counter-Strike was remarkably fast. Before joining FURIA, the young Kazakh AWPer had only recently made his breakthrough with AMKAL and had virtually no experience playing against top-tier teams. However, molodoy showed enough potential for FURIA to give him the opportunity to take over the AWP role in April 2025.
This decision brought important changes to both molodoy’s and FalleN’s roles. For the former, it meant adapting to high-level competition, learning to communicate in English, and taking over the primary AWP role, while for the latter, it meant giving up his long-standing role to the newcomer. But instead of struggling under the pressure, molodoy emerged as one of the best rookies of his generation.
He had one of the best rookie seasons in recent Counter-Strike history. In addition to receiving his first HLTV MVP award at FISSURE Playground 2 and his second at IEM Chengdu, molodoy helped FURIA win four tournaments and finished 2025 as one of the six best players in the world, while also earning the title of HLTV’s Rookie of the Year.
In 2026, molodoy was no longer a rookie. He had joined the ranks of the team’s top stars, contributing to FURIA’s run to the final of the IEM Cologne Major. For FURIA, the young player’s rise represented exactly what its international project was designed to achieve.