Listen, I’m just a CS2 enjoyer with a questionable sleep schedule and a deep love for chaos, so when I look back at Falcons’ 2024 adventure from my 2026 armchair, I can’t help but chuckle. The Saudi-backed org threw money at the roster like it was going out of style, made IEM Katowice semifinals, then face-planted and missed the PGL Copenhagen Major. One week you’re cooking, the next you’re burnt toast. That’s Counter-Strike, baby. 🎯

Now, in 2026, the s1mple-to-Falcons loan feels like a fever dream. The greatest CS:GO player of all time, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev, joined on a one-month loan from Natus Vincere after Falcons benched Mohammad “BOROS” Malhas. The move was supposed to be the plot twist that saved the season. Instead, it was more like a guest appearance in a sitcom: short, weird, and somehow still iconic. Falcons only attended BLAST Premier Spring Showdown in March 2024 with s1mple, fell short, and then he went back to NAVI’s bench. No cap, that still hurts my heart a little.

The s1mple Loan: One Month of What Ifs

Pavle “maden” Bošković spilled the tea during EPL Season 19 media day back in April 2024. According to maden, Falcons and s1mple tried to make it work, but the roles were messier than a silver lobby on a Friday night. s1mple is at his best when he’s the AWPer or a hybrid star who roams into the best positions. But Falcons already had SunPayus as the AWPer. Two AWPers, one map, zero chill. It was like trying to fit two goats into one tiny pen—somebody’s getting headbutted.

s1mple’s usually the best when he plays the AWP or when he’s hybrid and puts himself in the best positions, but he wasn’t able to do it because we have SunPayus as the AWPer and it was very tough because they were having the same roles. If things were going great and all of a sudden we win BLAST online, maybe we would stay a bit longer with s1mple. You never know what would happen, but it was just not meant to be.

That quote is the whole story in a nutshell. It wasn’t a skill issue; it was a role issue. And in CS2, role clashes can turn a superteam into a bunch of talented dudes running around like they forgot to buy defuse kits. Maden even said if they had won BLAST online, maybe s1mple would have stayed longer. But “maybe” is the most dangerous word in esports. It’s right up there with “we’ll fix it in practice” and “trust the process.”

Enter Dupreeh: The Vibes Whisperer

A couple of weeks after the s1mple experiment ended, Falcons signed Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen. And according to maden, that’s when the mood actually changed. Not just a little bit—drastically. The five-time Major champion brought stability, experience, and presumably a level of calm that only a Danish legend with more trophies than I have hot dinners can bring.

dupreeh is just overall a very experienced player and he brings a lot of stability to the team. When we missed the Major, it was very tough for us and it took some time to bounce back. Now, we’ve had a very productive one month with dupreeh and fixed the map pool. He’s very easy to work with and our vibes have been great since the moment he came in.

That’s high praise. In esports, “good vibes” can sound like a meme, but when a team has just face-planted in Major qualifiers, good vibes are worth their weight in gold. Dupreeh didn’t just show up with a resume; he showed up with a mop and cleaned up the mess. The map pool got fixed, the team got productive, and the atmosphere went from funeral to function. I’m not saying he’s a therapist with an AWP, but I’m also not saying he isn’t.

The BOROS Documentary Drama

Before dupreeh arrived, Falcons were down bad. They missed the PGL Copenhagen Major, and the org released a documentary that showed staff and players being openly frustrated with BOROS’ antics and in-game performance. It was raw, it was awkward, and it was the kind of content that makes you want to hide under your desk. Then Falcons released a new version of the video, removing large portions where BOROS got criticized. The original timestamps that got chopped were around 11:18–12:05 and 12:21–12:37. PR teams were working overtime, let me tell you.

Look, I get it. Esports orgs want to protect their players. But when you drop a documentary that spicy and then edit it like a Hollywood studio hiding a bad test screening, people are going to notice. The internet never forgets. It’s like trying to delete a clip of your worst ranked game—someone already saved it, clipped it, and set it to hardstyle.

EPL Season 19: Lowered Expectations, Higher Hopes

Back in April 2024, Falcons had a chance to turn things around at ESL Pro League Season 19. The tournament kicked off on April 23, and Falcons were placed in Group B alongside Vitality, Sharks, BetBoom, M80, The MongolZ, TYLOO, and G2. The top four would advance to playoffs, and for Falcons, that was the only goal they set after the roster changes. Maden admitted they lowered their expectations. Honestly? Smart move. When you’ve been through a roster blender, aiming for playoffs instead of promising a trophy is like aiming for a solid B on a test you didn’t study for. Respectable.

Group B team	My totally unbiased vibe check
Vitality	ZywOo goes brrr, obviously
Sharks	Slippery, bitey, and not here to make friends
BetBoom	Boom or bust, often both in one map
M80	NA hope, no cap
The MongolZ	Scary aim, scarier pace
TYLOO	Always dangerous when chaos kicks in
G2	Talent overload, drama included free

Falcons debuted against The MongolZ on Wednesday, April 24 at 4:30 a.m. PT. Yes, 4:30 a.m. If you’re a European fan, that’s basically breakfast with a side of suffering. But that’s the life we chose. We wake up early, we watch CS2, we scream at our monitors, and we pretend it’s a healthy hobby.

What It All Means in 2026

From my 2026 perspective, the Falcons saga of 2024 is a perfect reminder that esports isn’t just about aim and utility. It’s about roles, egos, vibes, timing, and a little bit of luck. s1mple is the GOAT, but even the GOAT can’t fix a team if the puzzle pieces don’t fit. Dupreeh isn’t the flashiest name on the server, but he brought exactly what Falcons needed: stability, structure, and a grown-up voice in the room.

Would s1mple have worked if SunPayus wasn’t there? Maybe. Would Falcons have won a Major if BOROS stayed? Probably not, but who knows. Would I have watched every match at 4:30 a.m. and then complained about being tired? Absolutely. That’s not even a question.

At the end of the day, the 2024 Falcons chapter was messy, dramatic, and deeply entertaining. They didn’t qualify for the Major, they didn’t make the s1mple loan stick, and they even edited a documentary to save face. But they also signed a legend, found a stabilizing force in dupreeh, and kept swinging. In CS2, that’s sometimes all you can do. Keep swinging, fix the map pool, and hope the vibes stay immaculate. 🎯

And if you take one thing from this trip down memory lane, let it be this: in Counter-Strike, you can buy talent, but you can’t buy chemistry. You have to build it, role by role, round by round, and sometimes with a Danish veteran who just wants everyone to hit their flashes. That’s the whole nine yards, folks. Keep it 100.