The Team Falcons’ Struggles and MOUZ’s Outlook — Highlights from the “Snake & Banter” podcast with Thorin and Mauisnake

A new episode of the Snake & Banter podcast featuring analysts Duncan “Thorin” Shields and Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg has been released. Here’s a summary of the key points in our article.

Mauisnake criticized organizations such as BLEED Esports and Passion UA for failing to meet their financial obligations to players. The analyst specifically highlighted the situation with Passion UA, which, in his opinion, used its ownership status to project an image of a financially stable club, despite issues with paying its roster.

The analyst also pointed out the shortcomings of the current VRS system, noting that K27 spent over $40,000 just to have its players participate in European LAN tournaments and earn ranking points. According to Mauisnake, the previous system was more accessible thanks to RMR online qualifiers, whereas now clubs have to invest significant funds over several seasons just to get a chance to qualify for a Major. 

Mauisnake also commented specifically on Natus Vincere, stating that the team needs changes following its disappointing performances at the IEM Cologne Major 2026 and the Esports World Cup 2026. The analyst suggested taking a closer look at FUT Esports players—Krabeni, dziugss, and xfl0ud—who could bring a fresh perspective to the roster.

Thorin believes that w0nderful is currently the only player on Natus Vincere with a guaranteed spot in the starting lineup. According to the journalist, the club could bench the other players if necessary. He singled out makazze, calling him one of B1ad3’s biggest transfer successes, but emphasized that the player has been in a serious slump lately.

Thorin also called Team Falcons the most unpredictable team in Counter-Strike history. According to him, even karrigan can’t always tell whether the roster will log onto the server and crush their opponent or lose 0–13. At the same time, the analyst noted that after facing criticism ahead of the IEM Cologne Major 2026, the team suddenly emerged as a contender for dominance, even though it barely won most of its matches on the way to the final and it wasn’t until the decisive series that its stars demonstrated an outstanding level of play. Separately, Thorin criticized Team Falcons’ decision to ban Cache after it returned to the map pool. He compared the situation to the period before Astralis’s dominance, when Cobblestone—the Danes’ permanent ban—was removed from the map pool, and noted that Team Falcons could have gained an additional advantage on Cache thanks to NiKo’s strong past performance on that map.

Mauisnake welcomed Cache’s return to the competitive map pool and noted that in Premier mode, the map is picked in about 8.5% of matches, with its popularity growing at higher skill tiers. Thorin also pointed out that professional teams rarely ban Cache and suggested that it will appear in the picks more frequently as the season progresses. Mauisnake believes that Valve should experiment with the map pool and temporarily remove one of the popular maps—Mirage, Dust2, or Inferno—to add a more tactical map and bring more variety to the game.

Thorin also praised Legacy’s current roster, highlighting its performance last season. According to him, the organization tried to assemble a Brazilian superteam during the summer break but ultimately managed to sign only try. Despite this, the current roster has already shown great potential at the 2026 CS2 Esports World Cup.

Thorin spoke highly of try’s individual skill level and expressed surprise at how his career is unfolding. According to the analyst, try possesses a higher skill level than saadzin and deserves the opportunity to establish himself on the Tier 1 scene. Separately, Thorin praised arT for his progress as captain and compared him to Jame in 2025. According to the journalist, the Brazilian took the criticism to heart and stopped making the rash decisions he used to make at FURIA, which has enabled him to devise effective game plans and outplay the world’s strongest captains. 

Thorin also understands HeavyGod’s decision to extend his contract with G2 Esports, calling the organization one of the best in the world, but noted that the Israeli player has already outgrown the current roster and could strengthen Team Falcons or Team Spirit.

Mauisnake noted that a captain with strong firepower can significantly increase MOUZ’s chances of winning in matches where they aren’t initially considered the favorite. He emphasized that a successful IGL’s performance is often a key factor in championship-level results. According to him, karrigan—with his extremely low rating and tournament victories—is the exception rather than the rule.

Mauisnake is also willing to give the revamped MOUZ roster more time, noting the potential of PR and xelex. The analyst does not consider the team a consistent contender for a top-3 spot, but admits that the team could establish itself among the strongest lineups amid the instability of Team Falcons and Team Vitality. Mauisnake also singled out coach sycrone, calling him one of the top three coaches in the world and indispensable to the current roster.

Earlier, analysts Duncan “Thorin” Shields, Jacob “Pimp” Winneche, and Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg discussed various competitive formats for Counter-Strike 2 LAN tournaments in the latest episode of the Hot Take Point Made podcast.

Photo — EPICENTER.