ROSTERMANIA begins with Falcons!

Well, well, well, looks like we did not need much patience to feel the aftermath of the Major. Falcons have kicked off rostermania today with a double announcement, Emil "⁠Magisk⁠" Reif is placed on the bench and makes way for Maxim "⁠kyousuke⁠" Lukin. The rumours were true. Now, where does this change leave either sides?

The ultimate prospect

The Counter-Strike community always keeps an eye out for the next sensation. Academy or T2 teams harbor plenty of players full of potential. Those players, we think, can play at a higher level, should even. Still, once every blue moon, a diamond in the rough comes out. The general sense is that kyousuke is the next diamond. Down the list of ZywOo, m0NESY or donk, could he really follow the path to a similar greatness? 

The young Spirit academy star has been styling on his regular opponents. Nothing can be said against that. His statistics are oddly similar to what the greatest rookies usually put up in their early years too. Nevertheless, there is an element of uncertainty. This roster move remains a gamble per se. Surely, the potential is there. That word does not always guarantee success at the highest level. Truth be told, kyousuke has very little experience against elite teams. As a matter of fact, he has not played against a top10 team in 2025 so far.

This leads us to two main remarks. Firstly, the beginning of the next season will quickly give us an idea of whether or not there is a gap for kyousuke to bridge and how big that gap might be. It is quite possible that the youngster will kick off pedal to the metal. It has happened in the past (ZywOo, m0NESY, donk, again...). Secondly, if that's not the case, the experienced figures of Falcons will share the responsibility to foster his talent as fast as possible. Surrounded by people like zonic, NiKo and even m0NESY to an extent, one can only learn given the right mindset. Exciting times ahead!

What's next for Magisk?

Magisk joined Falcons at the end of 2023. Back in those days, rumours were already mentionning the creation of a genuine superteam. Those deals fell through then and the Danish anchor had to wait a little longer to see stars like NiKo and m0NESY by his side. Unfortunately, even though he used to be the epitomy of reliablity and consistency, his decline within the new roster was impossible to ignore.

Recently, Magisk has been able to slightly correct course and post up better numbers. Unfortunately, one can imagine the deals were already in motion (or at least, the seeds of the idea planted). If his motivation remains intact, which he alluded to in his own twitter reply, Magisk could easily pique the interest of top10-15 teams in Counter-Strike. He offers a wealth of experience, across not only titles but Majors as well. He's a pure breed anchor, which is in quite high demand. As long as the powers that be have confidence in his skill, doors should open for him.

Structural puzzles to solve?

There's very little doubt about kyousuke's mechanical skill. The eye-test is clear. He will be an individual upgrade over Magisk. However, the question currently is whether any adjustments will have to be made or will kyousuke slide right into Magisk's roles. If that's not the case, we imagine TeSeS would have to take the hit and offer the flexibility that is needed. All ressources will most likely be diverted towards NiKo & m0NESY for the time being. Will kyousuke thrive under these conditions? We cannot wait to find out live.

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