The Falcons are set to play in the BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 Finals without one of their top young players. The team announced that Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin will miss the event in Malta due to visa issues that could not be resolved in time. Kyousuke, who is 17, was supposed to make his first LAN appearance with the team after a strong performance in the qualifiers, so his absence is a big setback for the Falcons’ 2026 season.
Falcons Academy Stand-In: NucleonZ Steps Up
With kyousuke out, the Falcons have brought in Matej “NucleonZ” Trajkoski from their academy team, Falcons Force.
The 18-year-old from Macedonia has steadily improved within the team and will now make his debut against top-level opponents on one of the biggest stages in CS2.
At the Red Bull GIBAWAY JOURNEY in Sweden last November, NucleonZ earned a 1.13 rating and tied for the highest rating on his team during the group stage. This strong showing helped him get this chance.
Falcons Lineup for BLAST Bounty Finals
Since kyousuke is unavailable, the Falcons’ expected lineup for the BLAST Bounty Finals is:
- Nikola “NiKo” Kovač
- René “TeSeS” Madsen
- Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov
- Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski
- Matej “NucleonZ” Trajkoski
This lineup still has plenty of firepower, but kyousuke’s absence will be noticeable, especially after his recent strong form and the impact he could have had on LAN.
