s1mple and Falcons Struggle Continues: Exit Katowice in Last Place
Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev continued to struggle with a last place finish in ESL Challenger Katowice 2024, raising the number to seven lost maps in four matches alongside the Falcons.
Despite getting the ball rolling in their first tournament at Thunderpick World Championship, the Falcons fell flat in Katowice with a mediocre showing, having lost to SAW and Eternal Fire.
Surprisingly, s1mple was the best performing player from the squad while Emil "Magisk" Reif hit a career-low rating with a 0.57 impact rating, 63.8% KAST and a mere 0.57 kills per round. This is enough to ring the alarm bells in the Falcons camp especially with the Perfect World Shanghai Major Europe RMR on the horizon.
They came; They SAW but didn’t conquer!
The first LAN series for s1mple since October 1, 2023 was against SAW in which was down to the wire, needing all 25 rounds to close out the BO1.
With Ancient favoring the CT side, it came down to who had the best defense, and SAW quickly showed their prowess with a 9-3 half. Except for Magisk, all Falcons players had single digit frags before heading to CT side where they returned the favor with eight rounds.
Despite taking the lead at 11-10, crossing the finish line proved to be a tall task for s1mple and co as Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen’s monstrous performance with over 150 ADR wasn’t enough to secure the victory. Instead, it was SAW’s newcomer, André "Ag1l" Gil, who sealed the deal in regulation with a crucial clutch.
With their loss, the Falcons had to face the best ranked team in the event, Eternal Fire. And considering their lackluster performance, the Turkish squad showed how they’re a notch above Marco "Snappi" Pfeiffer’s team.
Eternal Fire, a notch above s1mple
The series started on Falcons' pick of Dust2, where the team got off to a promising start. However, Eternal Fire closed the gap by halftime, leveling the score at 6-6 despite strong efforts from s1mple and Pavle "Maden" Bošković, who each managed 13 kills in the first half.
Eternal Fire then gained a 10-7 lead, but the Falcons turned the tide with an unexpected victory in a round where they had only unarmored pistols. This crucial win helped them claw their way back into the game, forcing overtime after a series of nail-biting rounds went in their favor.
In overtime, though, the Falcons faltered, losing four rounds consecutively. Maden and s1mple tried to carry the load, but the lack of impact from their teammates, all of whom failed to surpass 60 ADR, cost them the map.
An Inferno for s1mple
Next up was Inferno, which Falcons attempted for the first time under Snappi’s leadership. Their lack of familiarity was evident, as they managed to secure just one round on the T side. Although they showed brief signs of life on defense, winning three rounds, it wasn’t enough to avoid a lopsided 4-13 loss.
"Guys, enough hate, we'll win a map someday, hopefully in 21 days. We're too weak as a team right now" - s1mple on Telegram following their elimination.
A rough beginning
The Falcons exit the tournament without winning a single map, extending their losing streak with s1mple to seven maps. However, their struggles go beyond the Ukrainian star's arrival; the team has managed to secure only one victory in their last 14 series.
Looking ahead, the Falcons will shift their focus to the RMR, which kicks off on November 17. Danny "zonic" Sørensen has confirmed that the team plans to hold a bootcamp before heading to China for the tournament, hoping to see better results with s1mple making the Major.
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Featured Image source: ESL, edited by Strafe Esports
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