Falcons will miss yet another CS2 Major after falling flat in the European qualifier.
Counter-Strike legend Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev will be absent from competition in China next month after he and Team Falcons were unceremoniously dumped from the Shanghai Major CS2 EU RMR.
Fans hoping to catch the superstar at a CS2 Major — something he's yet to partake in — will be waiting even longer after the international squad suffered losses to FaZe Clan, SAW, and GamerLegion on their way out of the event.
s1mple underwhelms, Falcons whimper
The Ukrainian AWPer showed some signs of life but ultimately struggled to leave a real mark in his squad's six maps at the European RMR. He managed just a 0.99 HLTV rating for the qualifier after Falcons were downed 2-1 (13-6, 7-13, 13-7) by GamerLegion in the crucial eliminator.
Expectations were already low for the team, and a 16-13 overtime win over Czech minnows ECLOT did little to thrill fans. Signs of life were visible against FaZe with another overtime match, this time a 16-12 loss, before SAW put them in their place 13-5 at 1-1.
GamerLegion hadn't lit the world on fire with their RMR run but made their intentions clear early in the eliminator against Falcons; Henrich "sl3nd" Hevesi dropped 19 kills on Vertigo in the 13-5 opener.
Danish veteran Emil "Magisk" Reif wasn't willing to go quietly, however, posting a remarkable 21 kills and two clutches as Falcons hit back on their pick of Nuke 13-7. It was all down to Mirage, and when it mattered most s1mple came alive.
The Ukrainian sniper hit double digits early on CT side but as has been the story of Falcons of late, their T sides lacked cohesion. GamerLegion took control after claiming five kills in a full eco at 7-7 and never looked back.
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The end of Falcons as we know it?
The defeat all but ends this iteration of Falcons — and a forgettable one at that. There was much hype following s1mple's return with the squad but it was immediately snuffed out when Falcons debuted the lineup at the Thunderpick World Championship
Falcons went winless at the event, and with their EU RMR results included, wrapped up with an abysmal 2-11 map record since rebuilding the CS2 roster. Nevertheless, anticipation for the new lineup is already building.
G2 superstar Nikola "NiKo" Kovač has been linked to the squad and is expected to make the move following his run at the Major. There have also been whispers of Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov joining NiKo, which is tantalizing, to say the least.
For now, though, the community is reveling in Falcons' downfall as the organization is yet to record an appearance at a Counter-Strike Major.
The first European RMR concludes tomorrow, Nov. 19. Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest CS2 esports news and coverage.
