Falcons at Gamers8: A complicated start for a team full of potential

Nothing will be given to Falcons in their organization's home country of Saudi Arabia, where an opener against HEROIC awaits them in the single elimination bracket.

A move to an international roster was not always in the cards for Falcons, necessarily, but it was always a possibility. The team's previous roster, made up of five Frenchmen, was a last chance project created with the BLAST.tv Paris Major in sight. Veterans Nathan "⁠NBK-⁠" Schmitt and Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub, Major winners themselves nearly a decade ago, were joined by former G2 teammate Alexandre "⁠bodyy⁠" Pianaro and two younger players, Kévin "⁠misutaaa⁠" Rabier and Jordan "⁠Python⁠" Munck-Foehrle.

The French Falcons' raison d'être came crumbling down at the Paris Major's RMR, where they were defeated by OG in the final round of the Swiss group before being knocked out from the last chance qualifier by BIG. There was a palpable heaviness in the atmosphere as the team walked out of the BLAST studios in Copenhagen following elimination, particularly from the team's storied players, as the reality that they would not participate at their home Major dawned.

"The goal was to make it together as a French roster, for as far as we could, or go international," bodyy tells HLTV. "I wanted to give a last chance to a French project, but also join an organization that was aligned with my goals, that had the possibility and the will to create a big international roster if the goals we set were not reached. This was the case when we didn't qualify for the BLAST Paris Major." The team's front office came alive in the off-season.

kennyS, whose performance had been well below what is expected of an AWPer, and the two younger players were removed from the starting five. The French legend announced his retirement soon after. NBK-, alongside his longtime teammate and now a secondary caller, bodyy, became the pillars on which to build the international team with a focus on young talent.

bodyy had a pull between the French scene and going international, and although he spent all of his career up to this time among his compatriots, the idea of leaving his comfort in search of a new opportunity had long been on his mind. "France gave me a lot and I'm really grateful for all the time I spent playing with the best French players," he says, "but it feels really obvious that this is the next move to make, regarding how the International scene is growing.

"New ways of seeing and playing the game, new things to learn and a new team culture to discover, I'm definitely looking forward to it. Being co-IGL is also a role that awakes my curiosity in an international team. I'm used to having some voice on TeamSpeak, so let's see how I adapt to it." As it is the former HEET rifler's first time in an English-speaking team, a strong bind with NBK- is all the more important for a smooth transition.

Having now turned the page and starting a new chapter, there is much to be excited about in the Falcons camp when looking at the off-season's signing. "These are the players we really wanted in the team," bodyy says. "I had the chance to face a few of them in the past, and I have always been very shocked by how good they were. mhL, BOROS and lauNX are probably the youngsters with the most potential on the scene right now, we could see how skilled they were in their previous teams.

"Our goal with Nathan [NBK-] and the coaching staff is to make them reach higher ceilings and try to give them a structure to be as consistent as possible in these heights. What they all have in common is that they are insane mechanically."

Mohammad "⁠BOROS⁠" Malhas was a much sought-after player following the Paris Major, where he had a breakout performance. Already a known name in tier two online circles, he posted a 1.25 rating in the Challengers Stage and a 1.15 rating in the Legends Stage to establish himself as a player who can perform on LAN among the elite. "He is going to be the pitbull of the team," bodyy says. "We are trying to respect everyone's favorite way of playing the game as much as we can."

Laurențiu "⁠lauNX⁠" Țârlea, one of Sprout's most promising players alongside Victor "⁠Staehr⁠" Staehr when they broke into the top 20 with the German organization, was signed on to fill in as an anchor and lurker. He is also being given the freedom to play some spots he likes that may not strictly be holding positions on the defense, however, such as Short on Mirage. "He did an incredible job in Sprout and I was really impressed ever since he was 16 and we were facing him in Nexus," bodyy remarks. "He has been impressing me a lot with how smart and cunning he can be in his positions."

The all-important AWP is picked up by Miłosz "⁠mhL⁠" Knasiak, one of Poland's brightest prospects, who had a stint in the proliferous MOUZ NXT and was brought on from Endpoint, the perennial farm team through which the likes of Shahar "⁠flameZ⁠" Shushan, BOROS and Guy "⁠NertZ⁠" Iluz have passed.

mhL, too, will be given certain freedom to make the most of his abilities, in this case with the sniper rifle. "I can't say much about how we want to make him play, but he will be doing what he loves to use him without restricting him," bodyy says, "and he will definitely prove in this team that he is One for the future. The eagerness he has to play Counter-Strike and be the best is insane."

That last sentence can be backed up by mhL himself, who in 2020 was already talking about surpassing the players he admired. "I knew I was going to be an AWPer from the start," the Pole said when he was profiled by HLTV as an 18-year-old up-and-comer, "seeing how kennyS was playing and destroying his enemies made me think: 'Yep, that's what I want to do — and I want to be better than this man.'"

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One for the future: mhL

The roles round out with NBK- as a pack in-game leader and bodyy calling from the edges of the map on the attack and starring as a rotator on the CT sides — a role he in which showed his qualities as a defensive stalwart during his HEET days.

Falcons don't have the loftiest goals yet, but neither are they aimless. The crosshairs are set on playing some online tournaments — with the ambition of winning some —, and to make it through the morass that are online qualifiers for the possibility to play on LAN, especially at ESL Pro League and BLAST Premier. It sounds like a lot for a team ranked 104th in the world, but bodyy believes. "I'm so confident in this team and I know we can do it," he says.

So far, playing online, they have hit the expected landmines on the trail. A 2-0 debut against Zero Tenacity gave way to an 0-2 loss to Aurora and a 17-24th place finish at Thunderpick World Championship 2023 Europe Series 1. Next was the IEM Sydney 2023 Europe Open Qualifier 1, which they finished in 9-16th place following a 5-16 defeat to Into the Breach.

Luckily, bodyy and company didn't have to qualify for their first LAN event. It is Falcons' hometown hero invite that got them straight into the Gamers8 event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will, however, be in one of the most complicated manners imaginable. A best-of-three against one of the world's most established top teams, HEROIC, in a single-elimination bracket.

Early in the season and without much time to set the machinery in motion, Falcons may well still find themselves making on-the-fly adjustments as they figure out the necessary idiosyncrasies that will make such a particular teamwork. They will, however, not have that luxury at the lose-and-go-home tournament in Riyadh unless they are a David to HEROIC's Goliath.

In the case that they do beat such stacked odds they will meet one of two teams on the cusp between the elite teams and those a step below, Apeks and GamerLegion, which could be a great ruler with which to measure Falcons' early aspirations. "This is definitely the event I'm looking forward to," bodyy finishes.

"Playing in front of our fans and against such big opponents will be very challenging for us and I don't care how much time of preparation we get, we will be ready on the day we will be facing our first opponent."