Mauisnake: Team Falcons Would Have Won BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 With kyousuke

Rating: 8.6/10 — Analyst take that fuels one of CS2’s biggest “what if” debates

CS2 analyst Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg stated that Team Falcons could have won BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 if Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin had been available to play. The comment was made during the official broadcast and quickly sparked discussion across the Counter-Strike scene.

According to Mauisnake, the absence of kyousuke due to visa issues had a direct impact on Falcons’ ceiling in the grand final, where the team was forced to play with a stand-in instead of its intended starting roster.

Mauisnake’s statement: why kyousuke mattered

Mauisnake emphasized that the difference was not about raw skill alone, but about role execution, system familiarity, and late-round decision-making. He noted that Falcons’ stand-in Matej “Nucleonz” Trajkoski struggled to consistently deliver on CT sides at tier-one LAN level — something kyousuke was specifically signed to handle.

Importantly, the analyst framed his take as hypothetical, not dismissing PARIVISION’s victory but arguing that the final margins were small enough for roster disruption to be decisive.

Falcons’ circumstances at BLAST Bounty Winter 2026

Team Falcons arrived at the tournament under non-ideal conditions:

kyousuke missed the event due to visa problems

Head coach Danny “zonic” Sørensen was not present on site

Assistant coach Aymein “Aymeinstein” Bencheikh filled in during the LAN stage

Despite this, Falcons still reached the grand final — a point repeatedly highlighted by analysts and players alike.

BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 grand final result

In the final, PARIVISION defeated Team Falcons 3–0:

Mirage — 13:9

Dust2 — 13:11

Inferno — 13:11

PARIVISION claimed $254,600 for first place, while Falcons earned $71,000 as runners-up.
The LAN finals took place January 22–25, 2026, in Malta, with a total prize pool of $452,500.

Player reactions and verified quotes

NiKo: “We improved as a team”

Nikola “NiKo” Kovač said Falcons’ biggest improvement during the event was team cohesion. He added that Nucleonz adapted well, as he spent much of the bootcamp studying kyousuke’s role and responsibilities within the system.

m0NESY: frustration after another final

After the loss, Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov congratulated Jame and dastan, admitting he struggled against PARIVISION’s structured, uncomfortable style of play. He described the defeat as another painful step on the road toward finally winning a major trophy.

NiKo named MVP despite loss

Despite Falcons finishing second, NiKo was awarded BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 MVP, posting an average rating of 1.20 across the tournament.

PARIVISION: discipline over hype

PARIVISION captain Jame described the win as the result of a long-term commitment to rebuilding himself as a tier-one leader, crediting family support and relentless preparation.

Coach dastan urged fans not to overhype the victory, pointing out that the team still made mistakes — particularly on Dust2 and Inferno — and stressing that becoming a stable tier-one contender requires consistency over time.

Teammate nota echoed this sentiment, crediting the “school” of Jame and dastan for PARIVISION’s structure, while also mentioning technical discomfort during the final.

Scene-wide reactions

The win drew praise from across the CS2 community:

sh1ro congratulated PARIVISION and highlighted zweih

ropz called Jame’s success a “redemption arc”

s1mple summarized the victory with: “Hard-working team. Work always pays off.”

1eeR emphasized PARIVISION’s discipline and preparation, saying they looked structurally superior in the final

Conclusion

Mauisnake’s claim remains a theoretical scenario, but it resonates because:

1. Falcons reached the final despite roster and staff disruptions

2. Multiple players acknowledged that team structure and preparation were decisive

3. PARIVISION’s victory was widely credited to discipline, leadership, and system play, not opponent failure

BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 will likely be remembered not only for PARIVISION’s breakthrough title, but also for the lingering question: how far could Team Falcons have gone with a full roster?