Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin spoke to HLTV ahead of ESL Pro League Season 24 about Falcons’ disappointing results after the Major, his attempts to become a more consistent player, improvements to the team’s map pool and the importance of the upcoming tournament.
The 18-year-old admitted Falcons expected more from the second half of the season and said he is working on controlling his aggression when matches are not going his way.
kyousuke wants to improve his consistency
kyousuke has already shown a high individual ceiling since joining Falcons, but the rifler acknowledged that maintaining his level when a game starts badly remains one of his main areas for improvement.
“I’m trying to figure out myself how to be more consistent in a way if my game goes in not the way I like.”
He explained that part of the process is understanding when an aggressive peek is worth taking and when he should avoid unnecessary fights.
“It’s just being a bit smarter, being a bit more disciplined maybe. I don’t know. So yeah, just figure out the balance.”
The aggressive approach is not something kyousuke plans to remove entirely. He described it as a natural part of his game and said he has always viewed himself as a star rifler who can take those opportunities.
Falcons expected better results after the Major
Falcons have struggled to reproduce their Major form during the second half of the year. kyousuke pointed to defeats against Legacy and Spirit while admitting the team’s recent results fell below expectations.
“Of course, we are disappointed with the results. We expected better results after the Major, everyone expected better.”
The youngster also put pressure on himself to help Falcons return to the level they showed earlier in the season.
Falcons worked on Ancient and their map pool
Another area Falcons addressed before ESL Pro League Season 24 was their map pool.
kyousuke specifically mentioned Ancient, a map he previously felt uncomfortable playing because of how heavily rounds could depend on early fights around mid.
“We fixed some maps that we didn’t look great on. For example, Ancient.”
According to kyousuke, Falcons found a better approach to the map and the entire team now feels more confident and comfortable on it. He added that Ancient was not the only map the team worked on.
The rifler also said his view of Inferno has improved. While he previously disliked the map and struggled to understand how to play it, he now feels comfortable enough that he does not mind seeing it in the pool.
ESL Pro League is a high-priority tournament for Falcons
kyousuke also discussed Counter-Strike 2’s silent reload mechanic. He believes the feature has limited applications and will primarily be useful during clutch situations where concealing a reload can make a difference.
More importantly for Falcons, the upcoming ESL Pro League Season 24 represents an opportunity to respond to their recent results.
“We are putting a high priority on Pro League because it’s a tournament where we need to show our best result, because we were not showing our best results in the last tournaments.”
The tournament begins in Katowice with Falcons looking to improve on their recent performances ahead of the next Major.
