Can s1mple help zonic win trophies with Team Falcons?

When Team Falcons signed zonic from Team Vitality, everyone knew what their plan was. In recent years Saudi Arabia used its purchasing power in sports like football, so it wasn’t hard to guess what its intention was in esports like Counter-Strike.

After buying ESL and Team Falcons, the next objective was obvious. Surprisingly, they already reached that objective to some extent in Dota 2. At BetBoom Dacha Dubai, Team Falcons won the trophy despite facing opposition from the best teams in the world. And this was a $1 million tournament.

Team Falcons’ CS2 Adventure

In CS2, Team Falcons finished 3^rd – 4^th at IEM Katowice after a series of superb victories against teams like Natus Vincere and ENCE. But, when it mattered most, they faltered.

In the qualifiers for PGL Major Copenhagen, Team Falcons suffered three consecutive defeats after winning the first match. Their opponents were FaZe Clan, Eternal Fire, and AMKAL ESPORTS. This failure made them reevaluate their strategy for the season.

BOROS was immediately benched and an epic announcement was made: s1mple, one of the best players in the history of Counter-Strike, will be signed for a short period of time. Natus Vincere has agreed to loan him after his long absence, just to give him a chance to play some CS2 and not have to break its own roster to make room for him.

That was quick; thank you @natusvincere for opportunity, let’s see what happens next https://t.co/hdhxFVkLTO

— Sasha (@s1mpleO) February 19, 2024

S1mple’s decision

We can clearly remember that s1mple, when he announced his break, mentioned a potential transfer to a different club, saying that he would be willing to listen to offers.

After seven years of competing for Natus Vincere, it’s not a surprise that he wanted to try something new. But given his attitudinal track record, will he be able to enjoy himself playing for Team Falcons?

Everyone knows that he is a very demanding player who can become extremely angry during matches. It takes a certain amount of patience and empathy to deal with someone like him if you’re on the receiving end of his criticism. We’ll have to see if Falcons’ players have that kind of patience with him.

Of course, that won’t be necessary if the roster starts winning trophies right away. But what are the odds of that happening when you have teams like Team Vitality, Team Spirit, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports, and others in great shape? Not to mention the fact that s1mple might be completely out of shape right now because of his absence.

Header: ESL