Team Falcons reportedly adding kyousuke, but not how fans thought

Team Falcons is reportedly set to continue shaking up its Counter-Strike team with the addition of Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin and benching of Emil “Magisk” Reif.

While Team Falcons has finally hit its stride on-server, fans wouldn’t know it from looking at what the organization is doing. After winning PGL Bucharest, the biggest first-place finish in Falcons’ Counter-Strike history, the team dropped Abdulkhalik “degster” Gasanov and replaced him with Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov. After strong placements in IEM Melbourne and BLAST Rivals Spring, the team is making another big change.

According to multiple reporters including neL of Croissant Strike, the team is bringing aboard Russian prodigy kyousuke. This makes for an interesting shakeup to the team ahead of the BLAST Austin Major.

Who is Team Falcons’ new player, kyousuke?

kyousuke is a Counter-Strike 2 prodigy known for his time with Team Spirit’s developmental squad, Spirit Academy. He was signed by the organization at 16 years old and was quickly regarded as a premier talent by prominent players from the region including Dzhami “Jame” Ali.

Playing on the Russian tier-two scene, kyousuke enjoyed solid success in regional leagues and small tournaments. Despite performing well individually, the success of Team Spirit’s primary team afforded no opportunities for promotion.

Reports of kyousuke joining Falcons have swirled for weeks, with Dust2.dk first reporting the news in early April. Though Falcons players have denied the transfer and neither organization has publicly confirmed the reports, numerous outlets corroborated the reporting.

One notable shift, however, has been who kyousuke is set to replace. Though the initial report suggested that René “TeSeS” Madsen would be sent to the bench, all indicates are that the other Danish veteran on the team is being pushed out.

Magisk reportedly set to be benched by Team Falcons

kyousuke is reportedly set to replace four-time major winner Magisk on Team Falcons’ roster.

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Magisk is the most tenured member of Falcons’ roster, joining the team in December 2023 after splitting from Team Vitality. In January 2025, Falcons scrapped its entire Counter-Strike roster save Magisk. It rebuilt around him by signing FaZe Clan and G2 Esports star Nikola “NiKo” Kovač and the core of Heroic’s roster.

According to neL of Croissant Strike, the change is because “Magisk has struggled to get up to speed recently.”

The struggles of Magisk were seemingly temporary. The rifler was the lowest-rated player on Falcons in most of the team’s matches in IEM Melbourne. Despite that, he bounced back in BLAST Rivals Spring and was either the second or third-best player across the team’s matches. In both tournaments, Team Falcons finished second behind Team Vitality.

Though Falcons may be considering this move, it’s possible that it hasn’t yet committed to benching either player.

According to the reports, kyousuke isn’t set to join Team Falcons until after the BLAST Austin Major. The tournament is set to start on June 3, 2025, and will run through June 22. Falcons has a stage-two invitation to the event. Prior to this, Falcons will compete in IEM Dallas, which runs from May 19 to May 25, 2025.

The organization may weigh its options and avoid committing to a move until these events finish.