Patryk Stachowiak
After nearly 18 months of service and a landmark CS2 trophy, Emil “Magisk” Reif has been moved to the bench by Falcons, making way for one of Counter-Strike’s most exciting prospects, Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin.
End of an Era for Magisk
Falcons confirmed the benching of their longest-standing starter, Magisk, closing a chapter that began with high expectations at the end of 2023. Despite flashes of brilliance, including the organization’s first CS2 title in Bucharest, the squad never quite reached its projected heights. “Magisk brought many memorable moments and helped us win our first CS2 trophy,” the org stated. “We thank him for his dedication as we seek a new path.”
Magisk echoed the sentiment on X, expressing his drive: “I feel eager and hungry as ever and can’t wait to continue my journey at the highest level of CS.”
The Big Build-Up and the Bucharest Breakthrough
Magisk’s arrival was initially expected to spark a superteam revival with rumoured additions like NiKo and m0NESY. Although those early ambitions didn’t materialize, Falcons pivoted and assembled a core from ENCE, adding Snappi, SunPayus, and Maden to the fold. But despite further big-name reinforcements in dupreeh and s1mple, results lagged behind expectations, and Falcons closed 2024 by resetting their roster strategy.
Things clicked in early 2025. With NiKo finally joining, supported by the HEROIC trio of TeSeS, degster, and kyxsan, Magisk helped lead the squad to a breakthrough win at PGL Bucharest — an emphatic moment that put them on the global map. Success continued with top-two finishes at IEM Melbourne and BLAST Rivals. But the promise faded at BLAST.tv Austin Major, where the team exited in Stage 2 with just one series win.
Enter kyousuke: A Future Star Joins the Ranks
To re-energize their ambitions, Falcons moved quickly to snap up 17-year-old kyousuke from Spirit. Widely considered the most hyped prodigy since donk, kyousuke is fresh off a dominant debut year — posting a 1.29 average rating and spearheading Spirit Academy’s rise to 32nd in HLTV’s global rankings. He earned six “Bold Predictions” nods from the HLTV Top 20 of 2024, with praise from stars like ZywOo and m0NESY.
Even NiKo chimed in during PGL Bucharest, noting that kyousuke “reminds me a bit of myself — the way he shoots, he likes to go for flashy plays.”
Despite speculation about a promotion to Spirit’s main team, role overlap with donk stalled his trajectory. That paved the way for Falcons, who now add the Russian prodigy to a stacked lineup determined to contend at the highest level.
Updated Falcons Roster
- Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
- Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski
- René “TeSeS” Madsen
- Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov (terrorist state)
- Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin (terrorist state)
- Coach: Danny “zonic” Sørensen
- Emil “Magisk” Reif (benched)
- Abdul “degster” Gasanov (terrorist state) (benched)
Falcons have thrown down the gauntlet for the second half of 2025. With their eyes set firmly on reclaiming momentum and re-establishing themselves among CS2’s elite, the stage is set for kyousuke to shine — and for Falcons to write their next chapter.