Mauisnake: “In a BetBoom Team roster, where everyone speaks the same language, kyousuke would perform much better.”
Analyst Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg and journalist Duncan “Thorin” Shields discussed the potential transfer of Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov to BetBoom Team, and also shared their thoughts on the impact of Team Falcons’ sniper and coach on the career development of the Team Spirit player.
On the prospect of transfers from Team Falcons to BetBoom Team
Mauisnake: A move to BetBoom Team is unlikely to be financially beneficial for the esports players, since Team Falcons pays significantly more. However, from the perspective of the competitive environment, such a move looks promising. It would be interesting to see m0NESY replace zorte and kyousuke replace d1Ledez, in order to keep the Magnojez-kyousuke duo intact. On BetBoom Team, where everyone speaks the same language, kyousuke would perform much better. In his current team, however, his communication and comfort during rounds raise questions, which is why some details simply get lost.
That said, part of the blame for the inconsistent results lies with kyousuke himself, who isn’t playing consistently and isn’t learning from his mistakes. It’s strange that zonic, karrigan, NiKo, and m0NESY aren’t trying to help him improve his individual skill level, given his frequent slumps. At the Thunderpick World Championship, he performed so poorly that there was talk of his possible replacement—the team’s structure was crumbling, in part due to his individual mistakes. The situation with m0NESY is different: he could be slotted into virtually any roster. If he leaves Team Falcons and is replaced by, say, woxic, the organization is unlikely to make it to the playoffs. At the same time, a transfer of m0NESY to BetBoom Team would immediately make that team a surefire contender to reach the decisive stage of every event.
On m0NESY’s impact on kyousuke’s career
Thorin: The idea that m0NESY is supposedly wasting his time at Team Falcons while ruining kyousuke’s career sounds convincing. It was m0NESY who was one of the people who persuaded the young player to join the team. Without that influence, kyousuke could very well be playing for Team Spirit right now. The situation is further complicated by the fact that m0NESY has extended his contract with Team Falcons—now both of them can remain with the organization for the next three years. If management is to be blamed for the setbacks, then part of the responsibility must also fall on m0NESY: he pulled the rookie along with him, and now Kyousuke is facing his most challenging period yet. It would be much easier for the player to develop in a Russian-speaking team, communicating in his native language and being in a familiar cultural environment—something that simply isn’t present in the current roster.
On zonic’s tactical mistakes in forming Team Falcons
Thorin: Zonic’s main mistake was inviting a young talent who doesn’t speak English and has no experience adapting to Western culture. The coach threw the rookie into a superteam modeled after Karrigan’s old lineups at FaZe Clan. But you don’t join such rosters at 18—they’re for established 23-year-old players with trophies under their belts, who are expected to deliver results immediately, not learn the basics. Neither zonic nor the other team members, except for m0NESY, speak Russian, which critically slows the player’s progress. Moreover, zonic has never been a developmental coach capable of nurturing teenagers. He’s like Carlo Ancelotti: his job is to win by managing established stars. With an unlimited budget, the coach should have signed an experienced player like Twistzz, who simply needs to be assigned his role on the map, rather than having to be trained from scratch.
Earlier, former professional player Mikhail “Dosia” Stolyarov commented on Team Falcons’ performance at the 2026 Thunderpick World Championship, discussed the need for roster changes, and assessed kyousuke’s current form.
Photo — PGL.
