Falcons are two matches into ESL Pro League Season 24 without dropping a single map. Their latest win, a 2-0 sweep of Aurora on 4 October, was far less comfortable than the scoreline suggests. Mirage went 13-4 and was never in doubt. Dust2 finished 13-10 after Aurora led at halftime.
The result follows Falcons' 2-0 opener against TYLOO. It also gives Maksim "kyousuke" Lukin's side an early answer to the question hanging over their season. Before the event, kyousuke called ESL Pro League a "high priority tournament" for Falcons and cited the team's need to show what they can do after an indifferent year so far.
Mirage: a pistol-round 1v4 sets the tone
Aurora picked Mirage, and it turned into their worst map of the series. Falcons were dominant on the CT side, anchored by Nikola "NiKo" Kovač, and then converted without fuss on the T side. The key moment came in the pistol round, where René "TeSeS" Madsen produced a 1v4 that put Falcons in control early. From there the map was a procession, and Aurora took only four rounds.
Dust2: Aurora's best chance, and where it slipped
Dust2 was the closer map. Özgür "woxic" Eker and Ismailcan "XANTARES" Dörtkardeş had a strong CT half and sent Aurora into the break ahead, with a real chance to level the series.
Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov swung the second half. He came alive and helped Falcons string together eight consecutive rounds, which flipped the map and closed out the series. His 37-20 for the series, with a 1.44 rating and 91.8 ADR, was the best line on the server.
The numbers
Player | Team | K-D | Swing | ADR | KAST | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| m0NESY | Falcons | 37-20 | +4.42% | 91.8 | 87.5% | 1.44 |
| NiKo | Falcons | 32-26 | +4.02% | 88.7 | 77.5% | 1.38 |
| Jimpphat | Aurora | 30-27 | +3.69% | 78.8 | 65.0% | 1.27 |
| TeSeS | Falcons | 31-23 | +2.69% | 71.8 | 72.5% | 1.25 |
| kyousuke | Falcons | 32-24 | +0.55% | 92.2 | 77.5% | 1.2 |
| woxic | Aurora | 34-32 | -1.08% | 87.7 | 67.5% | 1.06 |
| karrigan | Falcons | 22-24 | -0.52% | 60.2 | 75.0% | 0.99 |
| Wicadia | Aurora | 25-30 | -0.96% | 62.7 | 72.5% | 0.99 |
| XANTARES | Aurora | 17-35 | -6.01% | 55.5 | 60.0% | 0.59 |
| kyxsan | Aurora | 11-30 | -6.80% | 32.7 | 55.0% | 0.5 |
Four Falcons players finished at 1.20 or higher, and kyousuke had the series' highest ADR at 92.2. Finn "karrigan" Andersen was the only Falcon below 1.00, at 0.99, and Falcons won comfortably anyway.
Aurora's problem was depth. Jimpphat (1.27) was their one standout, and woxic's 34 kills came with a 1.06 rating. XANTARES (0.59) and Damjan "kyxsan" Stoilkovski (0.50) finished with the worst swing figures in the series, at -6.01% and -6.80%.
A pointed matchup for kyxsan
This was kyxsan's first match against Falcons since leaving the team earlier this year, and it did not go the way he would have hoped. Aurora were second-best across the series, and his 11-30 line and 32.7 ADR were the lowest on the server.
The match also served as a litmus test for Aurora. They came in off a second-place finish at StarSeries Fall, and the newly assembled international roster is still coming together. Dust2 showed they can hold a top side for a half. The Mirage result and the second-half collapse show how much work remains before they can do it consistently against the best teams.
What it means for Falcons
Falcons have now won four maps in Katowice without a loss. The win over Aurora was more instructive than the opener, because they won it two different ways: through a dominant Mirage, and by turning around a Dust2 deficit on the strength of m0NESY's second half. For a team trying to show what it is capable of, that range matters.
Counter-Strike 2
ESL Pro League Season 24
Falcons
Aurora Gaming
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