Pimp: “It’s time for kyousuke to leave Team Falcons”
Analyst Jacob “Pimp” Winneke suggested on the Hot Take Point Made podcast that Team Falcons sell Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin and find a replacement for him on the transfer market. In his opinion, this would allow Nikola “NiKo” Kovac to return to his usual position and strengthen the roster.
On kyousuke’s possible departure
I think it’s time for kyousuke to leave Team Falcons and join another team. To be honest, I believe this option could be beneficial for both him and the Falcons. ...> When kyousuke joined the team, he pushed NiKo into secondary roles and took on responsibility for many positions typically played by star riflers. This had a negative impact on NiKo’s individual stats. Everything was based on the assumption that kyousuke is a future star, potentially a new donk who could play at NiKo’s level and, over time, even surpass him. But if NiKo were to return to the positions kyousuke currently holds, he might handle them just as well, if not better. <...> Looking at the last six months, I think NiKo is quite capable of performing at kyousuke’s level or even surpassing him.
On a possible reinforcement for Team Falcons
When you’re putting together a team, you can’t just pick five Messis or five Ronaldos. Right now, we’re seeing how MOUZ is exceeding expectations thanks to the right distribution of roles and the fact that players are taking on supporting roles. Team Vitality also has a perfectly matched roster and well-distributed positions. As far as I understand, NiKo isn’t currently playing in the positions he should be. But that’s exactly how the team is trying to get the most out of all its players.
I believe the Falcons could become stronger if they found a more suitable player for the positions NiKo currently holds. In my opinion, kyousuke isn’t good enough right now to justify building the entire team around him. m0NESY should remain untouchable, but among the riflers, the team could build a stronger core and get more out of the players simply by replacing kyousuke. From a competitive standpoint, now is the right time to sell him. The Falcons could get a huge sum for him, and if the deal is structured properly, they could include a buyback clause. If kyousuke breaks out and becomes the next donk, the club will be able to bring him back for less money.
On the Prospects for Team Falcons
There’s a scenario in which the Falcons could sign... I don’t have a specific name in mind—it all depends on who’s available on the market. But let’s imagine you signed Frozen. Let’s say you replaced Kyousuke with Frozen and moved NiKo to the positions currently held by Kyousuke. I don’t think the Falcons would be any weaker as a result. And all of this would come at the cost of losing a player who could arguably be called one of the most talented players in Counter-Strike history right now. <...>
That said, there’s one caveat. If the Falcons plan to move karrigan to a different role and make NiKo the IGL, it’s worth keeping kyousuke on the roster. In that case, NiKo would have to play different positions and adopt a different style. But if NiKo doesn’t want to become captain and still believes he can be the team’s star player, the Falcons should give him the roles he wants. If the club truly trusts NiKo and is building the roster around him, it would be better to trade Kyousuke to another team—for example, Natus Vincere or any team willing to acquire him right now. And in a few years, if he truly becomes the next Donk, the Falcons can buy him back.
Earlier, analyst Jakob “Pimp” Winneke analyzed the reasons behind Team Spirit’s success in the first half of the season on the Counter-Points podcast, assessed the team’s prospects, and listed players whose replacements could strengthen the roster.
Photo — Esports Foundation.
