After signing star player NiKo, Team Falcons hoped to make a breakthrough into the world’s elite, and recent victory in Bucharest have been the only win for the org so far. Now, Falcons is betting on signing another G2 player — AWPer m0NESY. They believe that the duo of NiKo and m0NESY, already proven to be one of the strongest in the world, could turn things around and elevate the team to a new level. Let’s dig into this hope, shall we?
Team Falcons in 2025: unmet expectations
Since the beginning of 2025, Team Falcons has shown unsatisfactory results on the professional Counter-Strike 2 scene. Despite significant investments and the signing of star players, the team has failed to achieve the desired success at major tournaments.
It is worth noting that the arrival of experienced player Nikola “NiKo” Kovač to Team Falcons in January 2025 has yet to bring the expected boost. Despite his renowned talent and leadership qualities, the team has continued to face difficulties and has not achieved significant success on the international stage.
Team roster after the update:
- Emil “Magisk” Reif
- Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
- René “TeSeS” Madsen
- Damian “kyxsan” Stoilkovski (Captain)
- Abdulhalik “degster” Gasanov
- Danny “zonic” Sørensen (Coach)
Before the victory in Bucharest, the Team Falcons roster didn’t live up to the expectations of the organisation.
At the start of 2025, Team Falcons participated in several major tournaments, but their results left much to be desired. Specifically, at IEM Katowice 2025, the team was unable to pass the group stage, losing to G2 Esports in the decisive match.
m0NESY and NiKo’s collaboration in G2 Esports: successes and achievements
Before NiKo’s transfer to Team Falcons, he and m0NESY played together for G2 Esports. Their duo was known for its high efficiency and synergy on the battlefield. They could easily be called brothers, as their relationship was warm and fun, and they complemented each other perfectly.
“I had never cried in front of the team or the cameras before, but realizing that my teammate and good friend was leaving the team brought me to tears,” said Ilya, commenting on NiKo’s move to Team Falcons.
One of the brightest moments of their partnership was the victory at IEM Cologne 2023, where G2 defeated ENCE in the final. At this tournament, m0NESY delivered an outstanding performance, especially on the map Ancient, where his rating reached 1.72 with 29 kills. Their excellent coordination was also evident at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023, where G2 claimed another victory over Heroic with a 3:1 scoreline.
Nikola “NiKo” Kovač finished the year 2024 on a high note, placing 4th in the HLTV Top 20 Players ranking.
NiKo’s key stats for 2024:
- Average rating: 1.17
- KPR (Kills per round): 0.74
- ADR (Average damage per round): 82.3
- Impact rating: 1.24
- KAST (Rounds with a kill, assist, survival, or trade): 73.7%
Additionally, at IEM Katowice 2024, G2 Esports showed their high level of play again, beating Heroic 2-1. m0NESY once again was the key player, finishing the match with a rating of 1.74 and 90 kills.
Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov showed outstanding results, which allowed him to take second place in the HLTV Top 20 Players of 2024 ranking.
m0NESY’s stats for 2024:
- Average rating: 1.27
- K/D ratio: +692
- Total kills: 2,566
- Clutches (1vsX):
- Total AWP kills: 1,093
When m0NESY joined G2 Esports at the beginning of 2022, he received significant support from Nikola. NiKo actively helped the young AWPer adapt to the team and the high-level professional scene. He emphasized the importance of communication, encouraging m0NESY not only to provide information during matches but also to take initiative in guiding his teammates — a crucial aspect of an effective AWPer’s role.
“He has the potential to become one of the best players of all time,” said NiKo.
For his part, m0NESY expressed deep gratitude to NiKo for his mentorship and support. He noted that their relationship within the team was highly productive: they openly discussed mistakes, worked on fixing them, and strived together to improve their gameplay. m0NESY even emphasized that he would be willing to follow NiKo to other teams, as he considered their duo to be extremely effective.
“I’m sad about your departure. Thank you for everything you’ve done. I’ll miss you, brother.” – m0NESY on NiKo’s departure to the Team Falcons.
Well, it seems their heartfelt farewell was a tad short-lived. But who cares about that when we will soon see them reunited under the Falcons banner?
m0NESY or degster?
Both players are top-tier snipers with unique strengths. m0NESY stands out for his consistency, high clutch efficiency, and aggressive playstyle, which brings significant advantages to his team.
On the other hand, degster demonstrates flexibility, adaptability, and leadership qualities, making him a valuable asset to any team. His rating at the BLAST Premier Spring Finals 2022 was 1.16, outperforming m0NESY’s rating of 1.11 at the same tournament.
Comparative statistics of m0NESY and degster for the last 3 months.
When comparing the playstyles of m0NESY and degster, it’s worth highlighting Ilya. He’s a young player who, I believe, wants to make his mark in history. At the start of his career on the big professional scene, he tried to emulate Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and replicate his aggressive playstyle. Often, he would change his position during a round, which made opponents nervous since you never knew where you might run into m0NESY. It’s also important to note that he wasn’t afraid to experiment during games, which ultimately helped him to sharpen his skills.
As for Degster, he can be described as a more conventional player. This doesn’t make him a bad sniper; after all, he just got his MVP for PGL Bucharest, but at the end of the day, it’s all those small plays that make a difference.
A true Falcons Era starts after Austin Major
NiKo and m0NESY form one of the strongest duos on the professional CS scene — having played together for years in G2, they’ve participated in dozens of top tournaments, learned to understand each other’s game with just a glance, and repeatedly proven they can decide the outcome of a match together. m0NESY is undoubtedly a highest-level AWPer — his aggression, reaction time, and consistency make him one of the brightest stars of the younger generation.
It can be confidently said that m0NESY’s arrival will fix the situation with Team Falcons. But it goes much deeper than that. While his individual prowess isn’t under question, his true impact is in changing the status quo for Falcons in the eyes of fans and pro players. The rumor mill is already spinning news about Kyosuke and the team as well. With NiKo, m0nesy, and Zonic behind their backs, Falcons might really become the prey they always wanted to be.
