FURIA nerve: “I slept on the floor and ate oatmeal every day; now I get to eat steak with my best friends and sleep in a bed”

FURIA stunned Americas when they swept through the Kickoff upper bracket to qualify for VALORANT Masters Santiago as a first seed, beating heavyweights like Sentinels, G2, and MIBR on their way. For a team quickly catapulted to the top of the VCT, their first global opponent couldn’t have been more fitting: Paper Rex. Though they put up a valiant fight, their game against the Toronto champions ultimately ended in defeat, moving FURIA down to the lower bracket. Hotspawn spoke with FURIA’s Michael “nerve” Yerrow after their series.

Hotspawn: I know so many people have probably asked you this question,

But how does it feel to play in an international VCT game?

Nerve: “It’s a dream come true. I wasn’t expecting much from the crowd in Chile, but oh my gosh, the crowd is absolutely insane. I tweeted it a few days ago. I’ve never been to an international before, but I really do think this has been the best crowd ever in VCT history.

“The crowd is insane, the energy is insane, and a lot of them were cheering for FURIA today. Even though I think Paper Rex is everyone’s favorite team from what I’ve seen.”

Hotspawn: I remember seeing one of your posts after you guys qualified as first seed about how last year at this time you were sleeping on the floor, and now you’re in tier one. So I wanted to ask a little bit about your journey, because I’m sure a lot of people would love to know more about that.

Did you always want to be a pro player?

Nerve: “Always. When I first started playing VALORANT I knew I loved it. My passion grew every single day with everything that came with it. I grinded through tier three and tier two for so long, and I took a big gamble. I took a gap year from college, I moved out with my friends in Texas, slept on the floor, ate oatmeal every day, and I grinded to where I am now.

“I made tier one and now I get to eat steak with my best friends and sleep in a bed. The loss truly sucks, but there’s a lot to learn from it. Going forward we’re going to do everything we can to have a lower bracket run.”

CLUTCH 1V2 TO END MAP 1 FROM @9nerve! #VALORANTMasters pic.twitter.com/r8UE9p0fIU

— VALORANT Champions Tour (@ValorantEsports) March 6, 2026

Hotspawn: This is only the second game in the whole tournament where it’s gone to a map three, and even at the beginning of that map you guys had a pretty insane lead.

So what happened in that second half?

Nerve: “I think they had a really good game plan coming into it. On top of us winning 0/6 pistols, that doesn’t help. It felt like we were always climbing back into rounds and we never really had any true momentum besides Haven attack side. Not having momentum kind of sucks.

“But we’re a very resilient team. We knew we had a chance to win the game, and unfortunately things just didn’t pan out for us. We made tiny mistakes that cost us the game.”

Hotspawn: Do you think there’s something to be said about Paper Rex being the kryptonite for Americas teams? Because it’s three for three right now.

Nerve: “I don’t think they’re a kryptonite. I just think Paper Rex are a really good team with really great players and a really good coaching staff. It’s just an amazing group of guys that put in the work together, just like us. I’m proud of how far they’ve come. They’re a really good team and an inspiration to play against.”

Hotspawn: If it makes you feel any better, it took them three and a half years to win an international.

Nerve: “That is true. We’ve only been together for a few months. So hey, maybe we’ll win the international soon. Like I said, we aren’t out. I’m fully confident that we can pull a lower bracket run here. The most legendary runs have a lower bracket run if you think about it.”

Hotspawn: NA has a robust tier two scene, with a lot of orgs supporting it, a lot of tournaments happening compared to other regions.

Do you think it helps coming from a region like that?

Nerve: “Yeah, for sure. I think unfortunately tier two isn’t as good as it was in the past. But having at least some foundation of tier two helps players cultivate that scene and grind through the mud. I truly hope it gets better because I think it’s declining lately. A lot of players want to play in the same path that I did: run through tier two, grind through tier three, and play on the stage and accomplish their dreams like I am today.”

Hotspawn: How did your family take it when you told them you were going to play for an esports team full time?

Nerve: “They didn’t really understand it. My parents are older and more old fashioned. At first they didn’t understand it and I had to fully explain everything to them. But once I explained it, they were fully on board and supportive.

“Shout out to my mom, it’s her birthday today. I’m sorry mom we couldn’t win, but I love you so much and I miss you and I can’t wait to see you guys back home.”

Hotspawn: Is there a big difference playing against Americas teams versus playing on the international stage?

Nerve: “A little bit. I think APAC has a style that’s a little bit different from the Americas teams. Especially the top teams like NRG and maybe old G2. I think G2 currently is trying to replicate a Paper Rex style. Playing that style from Paper Rex is definitely eye-opening and we learned a good lesson from this match. Playing teams like PRX in the future, we’re definitely going to be more prepared.”

Hotspawn: You’ve been playing a lot of that lurk controller role.

Do you feel in this meta your job is harder because of the double duelists getting info?

Nerve: “Yeah, for sure. I think Viper right now, as OP as Viper is and how many times they’ve nerfed her, it’s very unfun in my opinion. But when I do play Tejo, it’s my favorite agent. I love playing Tejo.

“So maybe they’ll nerf Viper again and I’ll get to play Tejo on every map.”

Hotspawn: Do you think we’ll be seeing more teams run double initiator?

Nerve: “Not right now. With the initiator nerfs and how good Yoru, Waylay, and Neon are, it’s not the smartest to run double initiator unless it truly fits your style. A team like NRG runs it really well because they’re so comfortable with it. But for most teams it’s pretty troll right now. For a team like us with players like alym and koalanoob, why don’t we just keep running double duelists and run it down?”

Hotspawn: Could you give me a line about each of your teammates?

Nerve: “Eeiu: the most calm player I’ve ever played with. He’s great at reassuring everyone and he’s an insane shooter and clutcher.

“Koalanoob: best AWPer in the world. When he has a scoped weapon in his hands, we just have a plus 50% chance to win the round.

“Artzin: our fearless leader. An insane IGL. I trust him completely to make the right calls.

“Alym: an insane player with a bright future. He’s mastering the Neon/Waylay role and the space he creates is incredible.

“And our coaches: they’re amazing at cultivating a good environment and setting up simple game plans while still trusting our instincts.”

Hotspawn: What do you want whilst at Masters Santiago if you have time?

Nerve: “I’m a big nature guy. I like hiking and being outside. There’s a lot of mountains here, so anything nature related I’d love to do. Hopefully we’ll have time, but in the meantime we’ll try to play this tournament and try to win it.”