m0NESY reportedly signs with Falcons; will leave G2 before Austin Major

Superstar CS2 sniper Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov will reportedly link up with Falcons within the next few weeks, according to French journalist Guillaume "neL" Rathier, with the "blockbuster" move hinted at as early as late 2024.

The move would see m0NESY join up with long-time G2 teammate Nikola "NiKo" Kovač and undoubtedly make Falcons a powerhouse in the esport, whilst also leaving G2 scrambling to replace a second superstar player in six months.

Falcons' addition of m0NESY appears all but set in stone according to a report from neL released on April 4. G2 received a Falcons offer for m0NESY as early as December 2024, right around when NiKo linked with the Saudi-backed project, but G2 at the time "palmed off" attempts to sign the 19-year-old Russian.

G2 CEO Alban "Stilgar" Dechelotte confirmed Falcons had shown interest in m0NESY last October, but added the Russian phenom was "the heart of the project" and would remain on G2 at least in the short-term.

It appears that term is up, with G2 seemingly unable to hold onto m0NESY any longer. His contract was set to expire in late 2025, meaning Falcons' second huge offer this April — reportedly the largest in Counter-Strike history — is one G2 couldn't pass up.

m0NESY's three-year stint on G2 saw him rise to become one of the best CS2 players in the game. Alongside his partner in crime NiKo, m0NESY and G2 took home six top-tier trophies and over $3.5 million USD in prize money. His 2025 season form remains sublime, recording a chart-topping 1.29 HLTV rating across four big events.

However, results have been far from impressive as G2 navigates life after NiKo. To replace NiKo, G2 picked up Cloud9's Nikita "HeavyGod" Martynenko, but there have been growing pains as players switch positions in the roster. A top-four finish at BLAST Bounty Spring was followed by earlier exits at IEM Katowice, ESL Pro League Season 21, and BLAST Open Spring.

m0NESY would assuredly replace current Falcons sniper Abdulkhalik "degster" Gasanov who joined the Saudi project in January alongside fellow HEROIC core Damjan "kyxsan" Stoilkovski and René "TeSeS" Madsen. It is unclear whether degster will be included in the transfer, or if G2 will need to look elsewhere to replace their livewire AWPer.

For their part, Falcons has also struggled at big events in 2025. A surprise runner-up performance at PGL Cluj-Napoca was otherwise surrounded by pre-playoff exits at big events; the best outside of the Romanian event was a 9th-11th finish at EPL Season 21.

Should the m0NESY-to-Falcons move be locked-in next week, we would likely see m0NESY play his first event with the team after PGL Bucharest, meaning IEM Melbourne may be his Falcons debut. A longer delay, and his first appearance may come at BLAST Rivals in Copenhagen or IEM Dallas.

Pending confirmation, the Falcons squad would become:

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