Kyousuke Defends Falcons Stand-In NucleonZ After BLAST Bounty Final Loss: “How Would You Play With Zero Maps on HLTV?”

Team Falcons rifler Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin spoke publicly about the performance of stand-in Matej “NucleonZ” Trajkoski following Falcons’ 0–3 loss to PARIVISION in the BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals, pushing back against criticism of the academy player’s debut at tier-one level.

Falcons were forced to use a stand-in after kyousuke missed the LAN stage due to visa issues, a situation confirmed by the organization and reported by HLTV. Despite the roster change, Falcons still reached the grand final, where they were decisively swept.

Kyousuke on NucleonZ: “The Final Wasn’t Great, But Look at the Context”

In comments shared via the CS3NEWS Telegram channel and published by Cybersport.ru, kyousuke defended his teammate, pointing to NucleonZ’s lack of experience at the highest level:

“NucleonZ played well at the tournament. The final wasn’t great — but how would you play with zero maps on HLTV?”

The remark highlights the pressure placed on the stand-in, who entered one of the biggest events of the season with minimal tier-one exposure and virtually no statistical history on HLTV prior to the tournament.

Falcons’ BLAST Bounty Run With a Stand-In

kyousuke was unable to attend the LAN stage because of unresolved visa complications.

NucleonZ was promoted from the Falcons academy roster as an emergency stand-in.

Falcons still advanced to the BLAST Bounty grand final, defeating several top teams along the way.

In the final, PARIVISION swept Falcons 3–0, claiming the title.

According to HLTV data, NucleonZ entered the event with a very limited number of recorded maps, making the grand final his most high-pressure match to date.

Teammates and Analysts Back the Context

Falcons players and analysts also addressed the situation publicly.

NiKo on Preparation

Falcons star Nikola “NiKo” Kovač explained that NucleonZ had been involved in the team’s bootcamp before the event:

“He was with us for almost the entire bootcamp, watching how kyousuke plays and trying to understand the system. That made it much easier to integrate him.”

kyxsan on the Difficulty of the Role

Falcons captain Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski emphasized how hard it is to replace a core player mid-event:

“It was not an easy situation to come in and replace a player like kyousuke. But he has great potential and a bright future.”

Analyst Perspective

CS analyst Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg suggested that Falcons’ ceiling was clearly affected by the roster change, stating that the team would likely have won the event with kyousuke present — while stressing the hypothetical nature of that claim.

Why This Matters for Falcons and CS2

The situation underscores several ongoing issues in top-tier CS2:

Visa problems continue to impact international rosters, especially at European LANs

Academy players are increasingly used as emergency stand-ins, often with little tier-one experience

HLTV statistics heavily shape public perception, even when sample sizes are extremely small

Kyousuke’s defense of NucleonZ reframes the discussion away from raw stats and toward context — preparation time, pressure, and the realities of stepping into a grand final with no history at that level.