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S1mple's Counter-Strike 2 Second Coming demolished by 3DMAX
3DMAX spoil Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev’s return with Falcons with a comfortable 2-0 win despite the Ukrainian’s stellar performance on the second map.
The best player in 2022 played the first game of his second loan stint with Falcons after a 7-month gap from BLAST Premier Spring Showdown where they lost to Metizport. Although he was away from competition, s1mple grinded for his anticipated return and the series against 3DMAX shows how much he improved during the last few months.
S1mple’s return was long awaited by his fans and even other professional players. Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov, for instance, urged the Ukrainian AWPer in a heartfelt message to return to the pro stage.
“The championship ended so quickly for us and I didn’t have time to say what I wanted to say on stage. I want to send a message to a man who inspired millions of people, including me. Sasha, we are all waiting for your return to the pro stage. It's time to turn haters into your fans once again!” – mONESY on X
Consequently, s1mple’s first match racked up an impressive viewership number, peaking at over 130,000 live viewers which is significantly higher than last year’s iteration grand final between FaZe Clan and Virtus.Pro. Yet, the superstar failed to satisfy with a lackluster showing in the first map of Anubis.
A Sloppy Start on Anubis
Falcons had a rough opening on Anubis, dropping five consecutive rounds right from the start. Most notably, the greatest of all time, s1mple, struggled significantly, showing uncharacteristic rustiness and a lack of confidence in his aim. It took him eight rounds to get his first kill.
Unlike the aggressive s1mple we’re used to, his AWPing was passive, mainly holding positions in Water and Connector, which kept him from creating openings or engaging in impactful fights. However, that shifted midway through the half when he took a more aggressive stance in Mid, grabbing a crucial double kill to raise his kill count to six.
Falcons leaned heavily on their riflers to keep the map competitive, with in-game leader Marco "Snappi" Pfeiffer and Emil "Magisk" Reif stepping up, shutting down 3DMAX’s attempts with multi-kills round after round. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to secure the map, as 3DMAX took it 12-10.
By the end of Anubis, s1mple finished with only six kills, 39 ADR, and a -8 K/D, putting him at the bottom of the scoreboard. To his credit, Anubis was not a map he frequently played with NAVI, and this was his first map back since his return. But things turned around dramatically on Nuke.
Vintage s1mple Shines on Nuke
On Nuke, s1mple showed flashes of his vintage form. All of the Falcons' rounds came on the back of his impact. Although the team was down 9-3 in the first half, s1mple came alive with multi-kills, finishing the half with 13 kills and an impressive 125 ADR.
While his role often kept him out of early gunfights, s1mple made several clutch attempts, and one finally paid off with a key 3K followed by a 1v2 clutch, reigniting hope for Falcons.
His dominance continued on the CT side, highlighted by a stunning 3K in the pistol round, denying 3DMAX entry to the B bombsite. Yet despite his stellar performance, teammates Pavle "maden" Bošković and Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen struggled, posting just 35 and 28 ADR, respectively.
In the end, 3DMAX spoiled s1mple’s return, but his form on Nuke is a promising sign of what's to come. If this is just the beginning, we could see him bounce back to his peak form soon.
“Bad start. But don’t forget we only trained for about 10 days. A lot of mistakes in the majority, but nothing new, the process of preparation and correction of mistakes takes time. We play the second official game in a couple of hours, thanks to everyone for the support.” – s1mple on Telegram.
With Falcons continuing their journey in the Thunderpick World Championship 2024, s1mple will have more opportunities to showcase his greatness. Be sure to tune in for more of his exciting action.
Featured Image source: ESL
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