Falcons Shift Toward Structure as zonic Calls for “Team-First” Approach

Falcons Shift Toward Structure as zonic Calls for “Team-First” Approach

From messy wins to a new approach
Falcons’ recent interview with HLTV came on the heels of their second consecutive victory over Spirit in as many weeks — this time at BLAST Rivals Season 2 in Hong Kong. The win followed an earlier success at IEM Chengdu, but both series exposed a recurring weakness: Falcons repeatedly let advantageous rounds slip away.

Danny “zonic” Sørensen explained that the lineup has been searching for solutions for months. Over the past five months, they first integrated Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin, then rebuilt their playbook after multiple roster changes and a dense travel schedule, and later shifted focus to optimizing star AWPer Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov’s impact.

Now the emphasis is on tightening up critical moments — after-plants, retakes, and advantage situations. When a player dies, zonic wants them to immediately step into “eyes in the sky” mode, relaying information and helping coordinate the remaining players, regardless of whether it’s NiKo or kyousuke who’s out of the round.

He pointed to several round-defining mistakes as examples of issues they still need to eliminate:
A Dust2 round where chopper was flashed through short smoke, catching Falcons completely off-guard.
A B-site hold where it wasn’t communicated who was responsible for Window, allowing Spirit to enter the site uncontested.
A late Nuke retake where they misread how many players were in Vents — and only realized mid-retake that no one had a kit.

Zonic stressed that improvements are visible, but admitted the team can still look chaotic from the outside.

“If individuals aren’t hitting, the team comes first”
The core of Falcons’ strategic shift is simple: when the stars aren’t landing their shots, the team must slow down and rely more on structure.

Zonic said that if the players aren’t winning their duels, they need to step away from constant hero plays and lean into teamwork — trading more effectively, using utility properly, and playing as a unit.

He acknowledged that this is difficult in a roster built around multiple stars. Elite players naturally want to “go again” right after losing a duel, and the MR12 economy makes rounds disappear quickly. Falcons have been discussing this heavily since arriving in Hong Kong — recognizing when the rhythm isn’t there and having the discipline to switch strategies mid-event.

Pressure games and the FURIA problem
Despite strong group-stage performances, Falcons have repeatedly stumbled in playoffs. At IEM Chengdu, they topped their group but fell 0–2 to FURIA in the semi-final — another painful addition to a trend of high-stakes losses.

In HLTV’s post-match recap, zonic admitted that FURIA were “playing really good CS,” especially on Inferno, where Falcons felt they were being read throughout the map. He added that the team is already looking ahead to the Major and has identified six maps they still need to polish.

In Hong Kong, IGL Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski echoed the sentiment. After securing third place in Chengdu by defeating MOUZ, he said that in crucial matches Falcons sometimes make mistakes they “usually don’t do,” acknowledging that “something is definitely happening to us in these important games” and the team is working to solve it.

These comments mirror what zonic is now emphasizing: improving communication, managing nerves, and developing a fallback structure for tense moments.

Balancing three superstars
One of Falcons’ biggest challenges in 2025 has been balancing a roster featuring NiKo, m0NESY, and kyousuke.

At IEM Chengdu, NiKo admitted he has been playing more passively than in previous years, saying it’s “hard to have space for three stars in the team.” While expectations are high and they’re “meant to win trophies,” he said the roster does not want to rush its development.

This aligns with zonic’s reflection in an earlier interview: during kyousuke’s debut in Cologne, the staff focused heavily on making him comfortable, unintentionally neglecting the fact that NiKo and TeSeS were also adjusting to newly assigned roles. The result was a strong debut for kyousuke, but a difficult start overall for the team.

Since then, Falcons have been trying to define their “DNA,” aiming for a balance between star freedom and the structure necessary to avoid the now-infamous “Falcons rounds” — 4v2 and 5v3 situations thrown away due to miscommunication or over-aggression.

Major-first mentality
Zonic’s latest comments echo what Falcons’ stars have been expressing for months.

Back in July, m0NESY said he simply wanted to “start the Major already,” with Falcons entering the BLAST.tv Austin Major as one of the favourites and beginning directly from Stage 2.

NiKo and m0NESY have repeatedly stated that while trophies are the expectation with a roster of this calibre, the Major is the real priority. Current events are seen as stepping stones, not mandatory titles.

Zonic reinforced that he dislikes setting hard “we must win this event” goals. He recalled a period with Astralis where over-focusing on a BLAST event in Copenhagen led to burnout before the roster bounced back and dominated in Beijing. For Falcons, he prefers steady progress over time and believes they are missing only a small final push in deep playoff runs.

He also suggested that winning their first big trophy could relieve the psychological pressure that comes with the huge expectations surrounding Falcons’ high-profile lineup.

Dealing with criticism and crossing the line
Zonic also addressed the wave of criticism directed at the team.

He said that performance-related criticism — including arguments that he should be replaced — is “totally legitimate” after so many years in the scene. However, he drew a strict line at personal attacks, especially when directed at players’ families, calling such behaviour unacceptable and urging the community to maintain higher standards.

The sentiment has been echoed across esports media, which highlighted his comments about managing star egos without fuelling harassment.

How this fits into Falcons’ 2025 storyline
When viewed together, the interview fits into a larger narrative that has developed throughout the season:

Early 2025: Falcons bring in m0NESY and later kyousuke, instantly raising expectations but facing role conflicts and limited practice time.
Mid-season: Zonic acknowledges the growing pains from these changes, with results fluctuating between deep tournament runs and early exits.
IEM Chengdu & BLAST Rivals: Falcons show they can beat top-tier teams like Spirit but continue to struggle in playoff pressure moments, especially against FURIA.
Now, in Hong Kong: Zonic, NiKo, kyxsan, and m0NESY consistently emphasize the same message — results aren’t matching the hype yet, but the team is prioritizing structure, communication, and mental resilience with the Major as the main checkpoint, rather than chasing immediate trophies.