Zonic Explains Why Falcons Handed Karrigan Full Control Ahead of PGL Astana 2026

Falcons’ new era has begun with Finn “karrigan” Andersen at the wheel, and Danny “zonic” Sørensen says the priority is clear: give the veteran in-game leader real control of the team.

The Saudi-backed roster arrived at PGL Astana 2026 after a major leadership change, replacing Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski with karrigan shortly after Falcons’ third-place finish at IEM Rio. HLTV reported that kyxsan was benched after 16 months with the organization, a period in which Falcons won PGL Bucharest but also repeatedly fell short in finals and playoffs. Karrigan’s signing was confirmed the same day, with Falcons presenting him as the new leader of a lineup built around NiKo, TeSeS, m0NESY and kyousuke. 

Speaking after Falcons’ opening win over K27 in Astana, zonic said karrigan has already brought the qualities the team needed most: energy, authority and leadership. According to the Danish coach, Falcons have many strong voices in the server, so the team needs someone capable of balancing freedom with discipline. In zonic’s view, karrigan is exactly that kind of figure. 

That first official match under karrigan ended in a 2-0 victory, sending Falcons into the 1-0 Swiss pool. The result was comfortable on paper, but not flawless: Falcons won Dust2 13-5 and Ancient 13-11, nearly allowing K27 to force a deciding map before NiKo helped close the series late. HLTV noted that the team had only limited practice before the event, which made the win an encouraging but still imperfect start. 

Zonic framed the transition as more than a simple roster move. He said his main objective has been to make karrigan feel trusted and supported after a difficult final period in FaZe. Karrigan himself had admitted in a separate HLTV interview that his last year and a half in FaZe had been rough, both personally and competitively, and that Falcons gave him a new spark at this stage of his career. 

For zonic, that context matters. Rather than forcing karrigan into an existing framework, Falcons are letting him shape the team’s identity, especially on the T side. Zonic said karrigan has taken charge quickly, explained how he wants the team to play, corrected mistakes directly and focused heavily on communication. The coach also described the tactical split as natural: karrigan is driving the offensive system, while NiKo and m0NESY retain significant influence on CT sides, where Falcons were already more comfortable. 

The move also reunites several familiar names. Karrigan previously played with NiKo in FaZe during 2017-2018, when they won seven titles together, and he also reconnects with zonic, with whom he worked in Astralis a decade ago. NiKo had already dismissed speculation about personal tension with karrigan, saying there was “nothing bad” between them despite their history in FaZe. 

Falcons’ expectations remain high, but zonic avoided setting a specific Astana target. PGL Astana features a Swiss group stage followed by playoffs, with $1.6 million in total prize money and club share on the line. Still, zonic said the bigger objective is preparation for the upcoming Major, not simply chasing an immediate result in Kazakhstan. 

For now, Falcons are treating every match as data. The early signs are promising: karrigan has brought structure, confidence and accountability, while players such as kyousuke have responded positively in practice and in matches. But zonic also made it clear that the project is still at the beginning. Falcons have changed the most important role in the team, and the real test will be whether karrigan can turn their star power into consistency when playoff pressure returns.