Official: Falcons announce lauNX, mhL, BOROS additions

The Saudi Arabian organization transitioned to a European roster ahead of the fall season.

Falcons have announced the signing of a Laurențiu "⁠lauNX⁠" Țârlea, Miłosz "⁠mhL⁠" Knasiak, and Mohammad "⁠BOROS⁠" Malhas to start a new European chapter for the organization. They previously announced their intention to transition to an English-speaking roster in May, benching Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub and Jordan "⁠Python⁠" Munck-Foehrle after poor individual showings at the BLAST.tv Paris Major Europe RMR.

The previous Falcons iteration came together in January as Alexandre "⁠bodyy⁠" Pianaro was signed to replace Ali "⁠hAdji⁠" Haïnouss ahead of the qualifying cycle for the Paris event. The team fell short at the last hurdle at the RMR, failing to qualify for their home Major despite a 2-1 start in the Swiss stage.

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Sources: Falcons sign mhL, lauNX; target BOROS

BOROS was one of the breakout stars at the BLAST.tv Paris Major with a 1.37 impact rating

The arriving young core will balance out the veteran duo formed by in-game leader Nathan "⁠NBK-⁠" Schmitt and rifler bodyy. mhL is the oldest of the three, and comes in as a direct replacement to kennyS to take over AWPing duties after an eight-month stint with Endpoint. The Polish AWPer averaged a 1.20 rating across all competitions, helping the British organization claim another ESL Premiership title in December 2022 and five semi-final finishes at various CCT regional events.

lauNX comes in after spending over a year with Sprout. The ex-Nexus rifler averaged a 1.09 score while helping the team secure top-four finishes at Elisa Masters Espoo 2022 and ESL Challenger Valencia 2022. He also contributed to the organization's highest-ever placement at a Valve-sanctioned event with a 12-14th exit from the Rio Major Legends Stage.

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Falcons bench misutaaa

BOROS will round out the rifling contingent in Falcons and is expected to be a main source of firepower in the squad. The Jordanian rifler has been labeled as a hot prospect since his arrival at Endpoint in August 2021, but his stock skyrocketed after an explosive showing at the BLAST Paris Major, where he averaged an impressive 1.20 score while powering Monte to a quarter-final finish.

mhL will take over AWPing duties in Falcons

The 19-year-old was a big target for Falcons during the tournament break. "It’s not every day a MENA player of his talent comes through," the organization told HLTV. "[...] It will help bring CS to the forefront in the MENA region and help inspire a new generation of talent to come through. We’re incredibly happy to have him onboard.

"With experience and leadership qualities already within the team in the form of NBK- and bodyy, we wanted to match that this time round with more aggression and raw talent. The goal of our teams has always been about qualifying to, and then performing at, a Major. This year ahead will be no different and our sights are set on producing some results at Copenhagen next spring.

"We’ve also looked to design this team with CS2 in mind. We think there’s a smart balance of creativity and aggression, but also discipline and work rate that we believe will be the necessary attributes to start off strong in CS2. We’ll have to see if that pays off."

Falcons are set to take the field with their new lineup at Gamers8 2023, the $1,000,000 LAN tournament scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between August 14-20. They will compete against the likes of Vitality, G2, and FaZe in the first Big Event outing for the organization.

Falcons are now:

Laurențiu "⁠lauNX⁠" Țârlea
Miłosz "⁠mhL⁠" Knasiak
Mohammad "⁠BOROS⁠" Malhas
Alexandre "⁠bodyy⁠" Pianaro
Nathan "⁠NBK-⁠" Schmitt

Steeve "⁠Ozstrik3r⁠" Flavigni (coach)

Kévin "⁠misutaaa⁠" Rabier (benched)
Jordan "⁠Python⁠" Munck-Foehrle (benched)