This encounter marked the much-anticipated return of Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev to competitive Counter-Strike 2 action, as he joined Team Falcons on loan.

The match unfolded with twists and turns, ultimately leaving spectators with mixed impressions.

.@METIZPORT TAKE DOWN THE FALCONS! #BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/7uqRewqjR6

— BLAST Premier (@BLASTPremier) March 6, 2024

Team Falcons began the series on a high note, clinching victory on Mirage, the opening map.

Despite S1mple’s somewhat lacklustre individual performance, marked by a rating of 0.84 and a kill/death difference of -1, his contributions proved pivotal in securing the win for his team.

However, as the series progressed to Overpass, S1mple exhibited signs of improvement in his individual gameplay.

Despite Falcons falling short on this map, S1mple’s resilience and adaptability shone through, evident in his positive first kill difference of +5.

The decider, Vertigo, presented its own set of challenges, particularly for a player like S1mple, who had limited experience on the map.

Nonetheless, he showcased a willingness to adapt, contributing with crucial kills and assists, albeit in a losing effort.

Overall, S1mple’s return to competitive play evoked both excitement and scrutiny.

While his presence undoubtedly adds firepower to Team Falcons, his mixed performance in this match raises questions about his adaptation to the evolving CS2 landscape.

As the season progresses, all eyes will be on S1mple and Team Falcons, as they navigate through challenges and strive for success in the competitive arena.

Meanwhile, Heroic and Cloud9 took care of business against Ninjas in Pyjamas and Rare Atom in their respective series to qualify for the quarterfinals alongside Metizport.

Thursday’s Spring Showdown matches

• Team Liquid ($1.66) vs SAW ($2.10) @ 3:15pm CEST
• Complexity ($1.30) vs OG ($3.40) @ 6pm CEST
• Monte ($1.83) vs Imperial ($1.83) @ 8:30pm CEST

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Mohammad “BOROS” Malhas, previously a cornerstone of the team, has been benched due to underperformance.

This decision, driven by the team’s desire to revamp their line-up for future success, aims to address concerns over performance consistency and role allocation within the squad.

To fill the void left by BOROS, Falcons made a high-profile acquisition, securing the services of Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev on a one-month loan from Natus Vincere.

S1mple, widely regarded as one of the greatest Counter-Strike players of all time, brings immense skill and experience to the team.

His return to competitive play after a hiatus is eagerly anticipated by fans and teammates alike.

S1mple’s arrival marks a significant shift in Falcons’ strategic approach, with the Ukrainian star expressing willingness to adapt his playstyle, potentially transitioning to a rifler role to accommodate the team’s needs.

HERE WE GOOO!!!

Please welcome @s1mpleO, who will be making his return to professional Counter-Strike as part of Falcons for one month on loan from team @natusvincere! pic.twitter.com/mglPzyQBxn

— Team Falcons (@TeamFalconsGG) February 19, 2024

This flexibility showcases his dedication to maximizing his impact within the game and underscores Falcons’ commitment to optimizing their roster composition.

In addition to the roster changes, Falcons announced the departure of assistant coach Rafael “Feldman” Rodriguez, signalling a broader restructuring effort within the organization.

This move underscores Falcons’ commitment to fostering a cohesive and competitive environment as they strive to overcome recent setbacks and achieve success in upcoming tournaments.

The temporary nature of s1mple’s loan allows Falcons the flexibility to evaluate their roster options ahead of key events such as the ESL Pro League and IEM Dallas.

While the team remains focused on short-term objectives, including the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown, their long-term vision emphasizes sustained excellence and contention for Major titles in late 2024 and beyond.

Overall, Falcons’ decisive actions reflect their proactive approach to roster management and their unwavering dedication to achieving success at the highest levels of competitive Counter-Strike.

Official Statement Regarding our Counter-Strike 2 Team: pic.twitter.com/iP5fnrbAhS

— Falcons Esports (@FalconsEsport) February 19, 2024

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His announcement came in the midst of reports that Natus Vincere (NaVi) is close to signing Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov from Sprout.

The 26-year-old AWPer shared his reasons for the upcoming break, citing the need to address personal matters and document-related issues.

So what’s next, time to take break as I wanted but that’s only half of story
Need to fix documents and take care of other people in my life
About switching to other org : never thought about it but would be interesting to see offers, maybe on rifle since awp a bit not impactful…

— Sasha (@s1mpleO) October 26, 2023

He also expressed curiosity about exploring other offers upon his return and mentioned the possibility of switching roles, considering that the AWP may have reduced impact in the new game.

While s1mple emphasized that no final decisions have been made, he expressed hope that fans would continue to support NAVI in upcoming tournaments.

During his break, s1mple revealed that he would be working on a CS2-related project, though he didn’t provide specific details.

S1mple’s break marks the conclusion of a remarkable seven-year tenure with Natus Vincere, during which he achieved significant success, including 17 notable trophies and the Intel Extreme Masters Grand Slam.

He also earned numerous individual accolades and topped HLTV’s top 20 list three times.

His desire for a break was initially mentioned in an HLTV interview in the middle of the previous year, amidst Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the benching of Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov.

Despite these challenges, s1mple remained an integral part of NAVI’s roster, earning recognition as the top player of 2022.

As 2023 began, s1mple’s personal form experienced a dip, though he remained among the top-rated LAN players.

NAVI, in an effort to regain championship-winning form, revamped their roster during the recent off-season, introducing a new in-game leader in Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen and adopting English as their primary communication language.

S1mple has been vocal about his criticisms of the transition to CS2, describing the game as “unpleasant” and advising aspiring pro players to wait for updates.

His absence from the first CS2 LAN event, IEM Sydney, raised questions, but it was later revealed to be due to issues with his EU residency papers.

The ongoing war in Ukraine has had a significant impact on NAVI players, forcing them to constantly travel to attend tournaments and taking a toll on their mental well-being.

S1mple’s decision to take a break was influenced by the need to address these personal matters and the continuous tournament schedule.

The future of NAVI’s roster remains uncertain, with discussions about potential changes within the team and organization.

In summary, s1mple’s decision to take a break from competitive play is influenced by personal matters and the challenges posed by the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

His departure from NAVI marks the end of a successful era in his CS:GO career, with the potential for new opportunities and role changes upon his return.

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MOUZ is entering the Counter-Strike 2 era without their young star, Jimpphat, who is currently facing visa issues.

MOUZ ROSTER UPDATE
?Due to visa issues, we are making a roster change for #IEM Sydney.? ? @NexiusCS2? @jimpphatCSGO? ?If we can resolve the visa issues in the coming days, Jimi will join the team in Sydney later.
?#VAMOUZ pic.twitter.com/G3jYULR0qp

— MOUZ (@mousesports) October 14, 2023

To fill the void, MOUZ has temporarily brought in Bram “Nexius” Campana for IEM Sydney 2023 until Jimpphat’s visa matters are resolved.

Following their significant roster upgrade after the BLAST Paris Major, MOUZ has been on fire.

They not only added Jimpphat’s explosive talent but also acquired Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek, formerly the face of GamerLegion, who led his previous team to the finals of the Major with his fearless and fluid in-game leading style.

Jimpphat played a crucial role during their victory at the ESL Pro League Season 18 Finals, earning praise for his clutching abilities.

While losing a player of Jimpphat’s caliber is a setback, missing only part of IEM Sydney is manageable.

MOUZ has its sights set on more significant prizes, particularly the inaugural CS2 Major, which is just around the corner.

Other high-profile tournaments are also on the horizon, and MOUZ is expected to be at full strength for those.

In the meantime, they can rely on Nexius to fill in until Jimpphat’s visa issues are resolved, which could be sooner than later.

This means that Jimpphat still has a chance to join his team down under should they make a deep run in the tournament.

IEM Sydney 2023 appears to be plagued with high-profile absences and potential in-game bugs, making it an explosive and unpredictable event.

One of the most notable absences is s1mple from NAVI, often considered the CS:GO GOAT.

According to NAVI’s release, s1mple will not be attending IEM Sydney due to issues related to his EU residency papers.

According to sources, the reason s1mple isn’t attending IEM Sydney with NAVI is that his EU residency papers are not yet ready. If he traveled to Sydney, there was a chance he would not be able to get back to the EU.

B1ad3 is replacing s1mple at the Australian event. pic.twitter.com/1l0QnhgQC8

— Luís Mira (@luismmira) October 15, 2023

Team coach B1ad3 will be stepping in to complete the roster, but this is seen as a significant downgrade, as B1ad3 hasn’t played at this level since his days with FlipSid3 Tactics.

S1mple’s decision to take a break may be well-founded considering his recent criticism of the state of CS2.

He expressed frustration with the game due to numerous bugs and server issues, even going so far as to advise against playing it in its current state.

With an unstable online environment, IEM Sydney may witness its fair share of bugs and glitches in its early days.

Furthermore, s1mple has been experiencing a frustrating streak, with NAVI underperforming in the final days of CS:GO.

Taking a break might help alleviate these frustrations within the team and on the server.

Regardless of whether s1mple participates in the first CS2 tournament, he remains one of the greatest CS players of all time.

He will have plenty of opportunities to compete for glory in CS2, including the highly anticipated first CS2 Major set for March 2024.

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There wouldn’t have been many people that had FaZe and NaVi playing off in an elimination series on the final day of the Legends Stage in their predictions; however, that is exactly what happened after both outfits lost winnable matches on the opening day.

Going into the clash, Finn “karrigan” Andersen and his squad were ranked as the world no.3, while Denis “electroNic” Sharipov and his teammates went in as the world no.4.

Across the server there were superstar matchups in most categories, with star snipers Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and Helvijs “broky” Saukants battling it out with the AWPs, and rising-star riflers Valtery “b1t” Vakhovsky and Robin “ropz” Kool providing entry frags and dominating with AK47s.

The series started on FaZe Clan’s map pick of Overpass, where NaVi jumped out to a 9-6 halftime lead, and they held onto that buffer until they took the map 16-13.

NaVi’s map pick, Mirage, was very one-sided as FaZe went into halftime with a massive 11-4 lead, and it didn’t take long for them to wrap up the map (16-5) and send the series to the third map, Anubis.

After the first half of play, the two teams couldn’t be split, with NaVi taking an 8-7 lead.

FaZe took the first round of their CT side, but electroNic and co. went onto win the next six to put them up 14-8, only two rounds away from taking the series.

When they took a 15-9 lead it appeared that the series was done and dusted, but no one told broky, as he put his team on his back to win six straight rounds and take the series to overtime.

From there, it was clear that the likes of s1mple and electroNic had lost all faith, and FaZe quickly finished the map and series to send NaVi home from the final CS:GO Major.

Following the blockbuster series of the day, we saw Fnatic take the first map before being reverse-swept by a rampant Into The Breach squad, who gave up only 12 more rounds as they took the second (16-8) and third (16-4) maps.

The final match of the Legends Stage featured world no.10 Ninjas in Pyjamas and world no.19 Apeks, with the latter side winning 2-0 after going to overtime on both Vertigo and Ancient.

With the Legends Stage in the rear-vision mirror, we look ahead to the Champions Stage.

The remaining eight teams will enter the final playoff single-elimination bracket, with the quarterfinals set to begin on Thursday.

Quarterfinal matches

• Heroic ($1.66) vs FaZe Clan ($2.10) | Thursday @ 15:00 CET
• Team Vitality ($1.11) vs Into The Breach ($6.00) | Thursday @ 19:00 CET
• Monte ($1.61) vs GamerLegion ($2.20) | Friday @ 15:00 CET
• Team Liquid ($1.40) vs Apeks ($2.75) | Friday @ 19:00 CET

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This makes it the third time the Natus Vincere player has taken out the award, having also won it in 2018 and 2021.

S1mple was unable to be in attendance to receive his award, although, in a video, he thanked his fans and all those who voted for him.

“I want to thank everyone for the support, I want to thank everyone who voted for me, it was a tough year for me, my country, my family, my organization, and my team, and I hope next year will be better,” he said.

S1mple also wrote in a tweet that the award win meant he had fulfilled the promise he made earlier to himself and his fan base.

“I kept my word, I won the Major with the best organization in the world and the best people I have ever played with, thank you all for your support, this is the best thing that happened to me,” he tweeted.

The 25-year-old Ukrainian player has forged a hugely successful CS:GO career since he debuted in 2013. The AWP player is considered to be one of the greatest esports professionals of all time. This is s1mple’s fourth nomination as PC Player of the Year, and his sixth overall at the Esports Awards.

S1mple was nominated alongside Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken, Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker, Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, Russian Valorant player Andrei “Shao” Kiprskii, Ukrainian Dota 2 player Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk, now-retired Chinese Dota 2 player Zhang “Faith_bian” Ruida, League of Legends top laner Andrei “Odoamne” Pascu, Apex Legends player Jacob “HisWattson” McMillin, Rainbow Six Siege player Jaime “Cyber” Ramos, Korean StarCraft II player Cho “Maru” Seong-Ju, and Hanwha Life Esports midlaner Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo.

In previous years, other players that have won the PC Player of the Year title include Michal “Nisha” Jankowski (2020), Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf (2019), Amer “Miracle” Al-Barkawi (2017) and Marcelo “Coldzera” David (2016).

This year, s1mple amassed a 1.27 rating with an 83.6 ADR. Over the course of his career, he has collected 21 HLTV MVP medals, an Intel Grand Slam trophy, and several others accolades — including Betway’s 2018 Best Player and FACEIT’s Best Player of FPL 2017.

S1mple’s MVP awards include ESL One New York 2016, DreamHack Open Winter 2017, StarLadder & i-League StarSeries Season 4, DreamHack Masters Marseille 2018, StarLadder & i-League StarSeries Season 5, CS:GO Asia Championships 2018, IEM Cologne 2021, ESL Pro League Season 14, PGL Major Stockholm 2021, BLAST Premier Fall Final 2021, BLAST Premier World Final 2021, BLAST Premier Spring Final 2022, IEM Cologne 2022, and many others.
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The selection for the award was narrowed down to two players, the other being Astralis AWPer Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz. However, it was s1mple who got the nod.

Over time, s1mple has been regarded as the greatest player to ever grace the CS:GO scene. The Ukrainian has played a starring role for teams such as Amazing Gaming, Courage Gaming, Team Liquid, and a list of others.

The 25-year-old player has also had his ups and downs in the esports scene, having been banned at about age 14 for cheating. Although the player reported this in his speech while receiving his award, he did not mention the game title that earned him this penalty. Having delved into CS:GO in 2013, the player noted it has been a life-changing experience for him.

“Ten years ago I was banned for cheating in another game and the game [CS:GO] changed my life,” s1mple said.

“I just want to play, play, and play, and when I see more fans and different fans, I’m more excited, this is why I play. I love you guys [the fans], thank you!”

S1mple has bagged numerous awards and titles over the years. The player has been named MVP by HLTV in 21 different tournaments, which include ESL One New York 2016, DreamHack Open Winter 2017, ESL Pro League Season 14, PGL Major Stockholm 2021, BLAST Premier World Final 2021, IEM Cologne 2022, and lots more.

In 2016, s1mple was also honored as the player of the year by Red Bull; in 2017, he was awarded the best player by FPL; and in 2018, he was also named the best player by Betway. NAVI have had a pretty successful time with the famed player on their roster, winning high-profile events such as ESL One New York 2016, 2020 IEM XIV World Championship, 2021 PGL Stockholm, 2022 BLAST Premier Spring Finals, and many more.

According to s1mple, Navi’s setback at the ongoing IEM Rio Major — where they were recently eliminated in the quarterfinals by FURIA Esports — is just a temporary stumbling block for the team.

“We have goals to win more Majors and more trophies, because there’s one team who won four Majors, and we definitely want to win at least two or three,” he said.

This 2022 Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, marks the 10th anniversary of the tournament since its inception in August 2012.

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The bout between S1mple and Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, who are arguably the two best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players in the world, was a thrill as they stole the show. Both teams put up a great performance, trading blows back and forth as the game ran into double overtime.

S1mple finished the game with a combined rating of 1.21 and 83.5 ADR. The Ukrainian star has been a familiar and consistent player in the CS:GO scene since the 2014 DreamHack Winter tournament and has continued in that light.

The legends stage fixture between the European franchise started with ZywOo securing the first kill of the game on Mirage. S1mple, on the other hand, found it difficult to hinder Team Vitality from claiming the pistol round. The French esports franchise took a 4-0 lead on the T side.

With Vitality securing an early lead, s1mple kept hope alive and continuously rained down some deadly warning shots with his Deagle. He was crucial to the team’s comeback in the first half and eventual victory.

NaVi’s CT campaign ended with the franchise securing 10 rounds as compared to the 5 rounds accrued to Vitality. However, a successful pistol round conversion saw Vitality attain the necessary rounds to go even in the series.

While ZywOo seemed to have had a slow start to the game, it was his late resurgence and timely kills that saw the team power through the CIS side. Vitality forced the game into overtime as s1mple hit blanks in five consecutive rounds.

In the extra time, both players continued to impress, racking up good numbers. The first team to attain 19 rounds was not enough to separate both teams, nor was the race to 22 rounds enough to get a winner.

Vitality held their own in overtime and got better in the gun rounds. This, however, did not hinder NaVi from securing all three T rounds in overtime 3.

By the end of the game, s1mple’s kill tally was only matched by Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen, as both players had attained the 40-kill mark. NaVi’s Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy recorded the third most kills in the game. Lota “Spinx” Giladi was next on the Vitality roster with 33 kills, and ZywOo was good for 31 frags.

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The franchise took to their official Twitter page to make the announcement using a twenty-two second video clip. The caption of the clip read: “We will never let him go.”

In a follow-up tweet, NaVi made the revelation alongside a publication link to the official post on their website.

“We extend our contract with @s1mpleO for three more years,” the tweet read.

S1mple joined the Ukrainian CS:GO team in 2016 and as such, by the end of the new contract, the 25-year-old would have played for NaVi for at least nine years. The player has made himself an integral part of the team over the past six years and has remained a crucial factor in their success in the dozens of tournaments they have participated in. He helped the squad win various S-tier events, including NaVi’s first CS:GO Major.

With the “Undertaker,” as he is often called, NaVi won 11 trophies from prominent tournaments like the 2016 ESL One New York, IEM Cologne 2018, and more recently, the BLAST Premier Spring Finals 2022. With him on the squad, NAVI also won the PGL Major Stockholm and the Intel Grand Slam’s third edition.

NaVi’s PGL Major Stockholm win led the team to set a record for not losing a single map on the way to winning a major.

Besides filling his role as an AWPer, s1mple has performed tremendously well on all fronts. For the past few years, he has made multiple appearances in the top 20 players’ rankings.

From when he joined NaVi in 2016, s1mple was ranked as the fourth best player in the world and placed eighth in 2017. The 25-year-old rose to No. 1 in 2018 and ranked second in 2019 and 2020. He reclaimed his No. 1 title once again in 2021.

He has earned 21 MVP awards and is one of the four pro gamers to win the Player of the Year twice (in 2018 and 2021). Other winners include Team Vitality’s Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund from Ninjas in Pyjamas, and 00NATION’s Marcelo “coldzera” David.

S1mple is currently the only CS:GO player not part of the famous Astralis core to reach the top six rankings in all-time prize pool wins. During the course of his CS:GO career, the player has amassed more than $1.66 million.

The previous two Majors saw s1mple and NaVi participate in the events’ grand finals, and the team is currently considered the favorite to win the fast-approaching IEM Rio 2022 Major. They will begin their tournament run at the Legends Stage after finishing on top in the European RMR, which took place in Malta.

S1mple was an essential part of the team’s success, with a 1.48 overall rating as well as a 1.55 impact rating. With his position in the lineup now secure, NAVI will likely give an equally impressive performance in the tournament and several other competitions in the future.

The Ukrainian team’s roster consists of s1mple, Denis “?electroNic?” Sharipov, Valeriy “?b1t?” Vakhovskiy, Ilya “?Perfecto?” Zalutskiy, Viktor “?sdy?” Orudzhev and Andrey “?B1ad3?” Gorodenskiy as the team coach.

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?S1mple was awarded the medal by the Intel esports marketing manager, George Woo, after suffering a 3-2 loss to FaZe Clan earlier. After it was placed on him by the marketing manager, the Ukrainian superstar reportedly took it off his neck, glanced at the medal, and seemed to get into a conversation with a fan standing not far from the stage. The conversation ended with s1mple tossing the medal to the fan as the crowd cheered. ?

?
While his actions can be perceived to have been born out of the anger of losing the opportunity to become the number one team in the world and partake in the huge prize money, s1mple gave another reason for his actions. While being interviewed by HLTV after the match, the NaVi star denied any claims that his actions were born out of his frustration of losing; instead, he remarked that his bag had little space for another medal.?

?“No,” s1mple said. “I’m just traveling all the time with my bag, and I don’t have place for the big DHL MVP [laughs]. And this medal is… too many medals inside this bag, you know, I need to save them for home.”? ?

Besides the runner-up medal, HLTV gave the Ukrainian the title of the Most Valuable Player of the IEM Cologne 2022 tournament. ?Despite losing to FaZe Clan, he was said to have outperformed the best players in the franchise, such as Helvijs “broke” Saukants and Russell “Twistzz” Van Dulken.

Aside from the medals awarded, NaVi and FaZe Clan both won cash prizes of $180,000 and $400,000, respectively.? ?NaVi have the advantage in the last seven head-to-head matchups, having won four times. FaZe previously won the 2022 PGL Major Antwerp after a clean sweep over NaVi. ? ?

The IEM Cologne grand finals best-of-five series started with FaZe taking an early lead. NaVi won the next two maps and were merely a map away from emerging victorious.? ?FaZe ended up winning Mirage and tied the game at 2-2, forcing a fifth map. FaZe snatched the win in the final map to become champions.? ?According to Esports Charts, the 2022 IEM Cologne grand finals became the most watched non-major CS:GO match, with a peak viewership of around 1.25 million people.

?FaZe are now a tournament win away from emerging as the Intel Grand Slam champions and taking home the $1 million cash prize. If the franchise does win the prize in October during the ESL Pro League Season 16, it would be the fourth team to claim it. The previous winners of the tournament include Astralis, Team Liquid, and NaVi.? ?

NaVi will make their next appearance in mid-August at BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2022 and thereafter at the ESL Pro League Season 16 by the end of August, before the 2022 BLAST Premier World Finals in December. Before either event begins, the players will go on a hiatus from all official matches. ? ?

The next few weeks will see NaVi decide on their roster for the upcoming tournaments. The team has yet to decide on the future of Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev, the stand-in who joined the starting lineup in place of Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov.

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