In a shocking move, Falcons have benched experienced Counter-Strike icon Emil ‘Magisk’ Reif in favour of Team Spirit Academy player Maksim ‘kyousuke’ Lukin.
The 17-year-old Russian Rifler now faces the pressure to fill Magisk’s shoes in his Tier 1 competitive debut.
Who is kyousuke?
Team Falcons’ new signing kyousuke was only 7 years of age when Magisk began competing in professional Counter-Strike. His one year of competitive experience compared to Magisk’s ten makes this roster change one of thrilling uncertainty and raw talent.
Kyousuke began competing on Team Spirit Academy in March 2024. His success on the roster earned him an average rating of 1.29 in 2024.
His talent and high ratings attracted the attention of the biggest and best Counter-Strike players on the scene.
Seven of the 2024 Top 20 HLTV Counter-Strike professionals named kyousuke as their “bold prediction” for 2025 – players they had eyes on to perform well in the season. Included in these seven players is Mattieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut and his now-teammate on Falcons, Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov.
Team Falcons evidently agree that he has potential, as it is rumoured that they spent $2 million USD (~£1,480,000 GBP) on his buyout from Team Spirit Academy. The organisation has disputed these rumours online, but not disclosed the transfer cost at time of writing.
This roster move echoes that of Danil ‘donk’ Kryshkovets. Now one of the highest-rated players in Counter-Strike, donk also moved to Tier 1 competition from Team Spirit’s Academy team.
Donk was able to achieve rapid success on Team Spirit’s main roster, including his spellbinding 2024 IEM Katowice performance that placed him firmly in the history books.
Kyousuke will hope to replicate this success with Team Falcons.
Why has Magisk been benched?
Benching Magisk is a decision that fans will scrutinise.
While Magisk was on the Team Falcons roster, they achieved several notable placements, including 2nd at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025, 2nd at IEM Melbourne 2025, 2nd at BLAST Rivals Spring 2025, and most importantly, 1st at PGL Bucharest 2025.
In their benching announcement, the Falcons acknowledged these successes. However, they state that they will “seek a new path” moving forward.
Strongly contributing to their decision will be the Falcons’ shocking BLAST Austin Major elimination. The roster’s Major journey brutally ended in Stage 2 following a defeat to MIBR.
Community reactions to kyousuke’s signing
The immediate community response to Team Falcons signing kyousuke is divided.
Some are enthusiastic about the prospect of new talent joining a more experienced team. A fresh perspective on the roster may increase the Counter-Strike betting odds for the Falcons placing highly in the future.
Others are sceptical, reflecting on whether the Team Falcons roster changes ever change their performance outcomes.
Team Falcons has gained a reputation in Counter-Strike for their benching of players. Abdulkhalik ‘degster’ Gasanov is still on the Falcons’ bench after leaving the active roster in April this year.
He only spent four months playing for the team and was benched the day after they won PGL Bucharest.
Between January 2023 and June 2025, a total of 19 players and coaches have rotated through the team, either signing, being benched, or on loan. This number does not include any analysts or team managers who have also rotated in and out of the organisation.
They have had almost as many Counter-Strike players and staff as they have months competing in Counter-Strike since January 2023.
Fans are also speculating about the fate of Magisk. The player has already stated his intention to find a new team, but there is no indication of which team this might be.
As their new signing, kyousuke will hope to remain on the Team Falcons roster for longer than some of his predecessors. In the meantime, another Counter-Strike legend waits on the Team Falcons’ bench.
Hannah is a writer specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports and Apex Legends, although it may never surpass her drive to passionately beat her friends in every game of Mariokart. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ESI London, EGX, Discover: Esports and many League of Legends watch parties.