kyousuke: "No matter how much you elevate yourself, you still need to work harder"

The young Russian phenom reflected on Falcons' recent results while watching Majestic LanDaLan 3.

Among the small crowd that has gathered to watch the likes of PARIVISION and BetBoom clash at Majestic LanDaLan 3 in Moscow, an unlikely guest made an appearance: Falcons' rifler Maxim "⁠kyousuke⁠" Lukin.

"It's just so that today is a day that I don't spend at home, because I had to take care of some documents for a visa, so I found a time to come here," kyousuke shared when quizzed about his attendance at the local LAN.

Taking a break from his regimen, kyousuke also took time to chat with HLTV regarding Falcons' recent results at FISSURE Playground 2, his transition to the upper echelons of professional play, and his thoughts as the start of ESL Pro League Season 22 approaches.

Editor's note: This interview was conducted in Russian and translated by HLTV staff.

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Maxim, being a top player, you must be a busy man, but you found time to come to LanDaLan. How come?

It's just so that today is a day that I don't spend at home, because I had to take care of some documents for a visa, so I found a time to come here. Just met some of my friends with whom I wanted to come here, and that's it. Just meeting people, taking pictures with the fans.

Tell us about your performance at FPG 2 where you lost to FURIA in the semi-finals. What went wrong?

Just played poorly, that's it.

Did this result upset you, or is it more of a "trust the process" type moment?

This result, of course, had upset me, but by the end of the game, you know what you need to work on and what you need to improve. No matter how much you elevate yourself, you still need to work harder.

What do you need to work on?

Us as a team? Just like all new teams, communication at a minimum, because it’s the key to success. And just everything.

Was it especially disappointing not to make it to the grand final, considering it was a home event for NiKo, with Belgrade being a familiar place for the team overall?

It was less about it being a home event. It was disappointing not to make the final because it wasn't really a tier 1 event. In my head, we had to reach the final just because of that.

FalleN recently said that you play a bit predictably on CT. Would you agree with him? If yes, is that something you're working on?

Yeah, they read me in two or three rounds. But yeah, I do believe I can do better.

S0tf1k told me that the difference between a tier 1 player and, let's say, "a king of FACEIT" is mental strength - not crumbling under pressure in games when they matter. Having played at the tier 1 level for some time now, how do you deal with the pressure if you feel it?

I've always said that the mental aspect is the most important. It's less about the pressure itself but more about being confident in oneself and your moves that have worked previously. You do the same moves because there isn't much of a skill gap at the level I've been playing now. You just gotta act confidently like you've been doing before, you gotta do your moves without being afraid to make mistakes. Not being afraid to overpeek and so on. If you feel it, do it.

Has the external pressure (the context of a game and so on) affected you?

I haven't felt the arena or crowd affecting me, but I haven't really played those big arenas like some other players have. Well, I didn't feel that.

Recently, m0NESY hasn't been putting up the kind of numbers he used to. Was this talked about within the team? Could this have something to do with the way the team chooses to play?

I think it depends on how we play overall. I don't notice Ilya playing poorly even when we play praccs. I don't see him playing worse; he plays very well. It just depends on how we play. If we play as well as we play against weaker teams, like paiN, he will be putting up highlights and so on. When we play against FURIA and we don't play our best game, it's hard to put on highlights. Still possible, though. I'm not sure.

You have ESL Pro League coming up. Is your goal only the victory, or do you have a wider frame of what you will find satisfactory?

For me, the goal number one for the event is to come to Sweden, like VP did... [laughs] But I have the insurance, it's alright. I think we will make it.

As for the goal, it's to show a better result relative to the last event, and to show that we improve with every event.

Speaking of the visa, you said you were working on it. Have you got the Schengen visa to make it to Sweden?

I got the Schengen visa for EPL.

So you're ready to go?

Yeah.