s1mple will NOT be extending with Falcons

Team Falcons’ disappointing run at the Perfect World Shanghai Major RMR marked the final blow for the organization to make necessary roster changes with how the current season turned out.

While expectations were low for the Falcons coming into the RMR, Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev replacing Alvaro "SunPayus" Garcia as the main AWPer sparked some hope in making an upset. Yet, with lackluster performances across the board, the team faltered mid event when it mattered the most.

Although this was s1mple’s second stint with the Falcons, the greatest player of all time had his first ever negative rating in a LAN event in the process. Initially, s1mple stepped in for Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen at the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown where they suffered a devastating loss against Metizport.

Following his failure at reaching the Shanghai Major, the Ukrainian star was quick on his heels to announce that he’s not joining the Falcons via his Telegram channel. This put an end to what was going to be the ‘super star team’ with Nikola “NiKo” Kovač reportedly joining in 2025.

"I'm not moving to Falcons" – s1mple on Telegram

S1mple’s challenges of returning to form

It’s no secret that the three-time best player in the world is a shadow of his former self. From single handedly winning tournaments to struggling against tier two teams, s1mple has had a tough time finding his footing after his 10-month hiatus.

Since his return, s1mple played in four different events including Thunderpick World Championship and ESL Challenger Katowice where he had his best performances. Despite not having the ultimate return, we must note that the Falcons roster might’ve played a role in his overall showing.

Even with SunPayus on the team, the Falcons failed at almost every event they’ve been to. Relying on one player to fix an entire doomed roster is a tall task even for the greatest of all time, and while s1mple’s future remains shrouded in mystery, it will be interesting to see where he might land next for the 2025 season.

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Featured Image source: Perfect World

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