Team Falcons AWPer Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov says he is still chasing consistency in 2026, but believes sharper late-round decision-making, stronger team prep, and a switch to Logitech’s new SUPERSTRIKE mouse are already helping elevate his game.

Despite boasting one of the most star-studded rosters in all of Counter-Strike 2, Falcons have struggled to convert their firepower into trophies.

And for m0NESY individually, despite being one of Counter-Strike’s most mechanically gifted players, the Russian sniper admitted his own standards remain higher. We caught up with the Falcons star before the start of IEM Rio.

“I would say I still have inconsistency in my individual form. I know where I can be better and I think it’s the most important,” he said.

BLAST

One of the criticisms pointed at the roster has been their mid-round decision-making, especially in situations where they earn a man advantage, but lose out due to over-aggressive peeks and a lack of trading.

“I was focusing on becoming stronger in mid rounds/late rounds. Basically, when you need to make a decision as a team. I have big opportunity to help captain in these situations and I think I can give a lot of ideas.”

This speaks to the fact that he is no longer the young prodigy of the team – that is now Maksim ‘kyuosuke’ Lukin. m0NESY prasied the 18-year-old’s fearless aggression as the biggest standout since joining Falcons.

“He is not afraid to take fights, make a difference for the team, I like it. He has great mechanics in the game.”

m0NESY on playing FACEIT and CS2’s reload nerf

So how exactly are Falcons fine-tuning their approach behind the scenes? According to m0NESY, the team’s work ahead of IEM Rio was focused on fixing issues from their previous outing at BLAST Rotterdam, where they were eliminated at the hands of PARIVISION.

“Coming to the IEM Rio we practiced online. I think we got good form overall, we fixed mistakes from the previous tournament and now we have another chance to prove ourselves.”

Some teams have reportedly limited FACEIT to avoid bad habits carrying into structured play, but m0NESY said the balance ultimately comes down to team-wide trust and individual form. When asked if he thinks FACEIT is a benefit or a hindrance, he explained:

“Oh, what a question. I mean, it is our decision as a team and we will all respect it. If we think it will improve us as players, then we follow it.

“But there should be room to keep up your form and you have to spend some time playing it of course.”

As for Counter-Strike’s major reload change, m0NESY believes it will subtly reward discipline rather than dramatically reshape the meta.

“[Overall], I would say not bad. Some random spams won’t happen often, and people will start paying attention to their ammo more and more,” he explained, adding that the M4A4 “will become stronger” on the CT side, even if the overall pro game remains mostly unchanged.

m0NESY’s switch to the Logitech G PRO X2 SUPERSTRIKE

Away from macro changes, the Logitech G Pro X2 SUPERSTRIKE has been another adjustment. After spending his career on the Logitech G Pro X Superlight line, m0NESY said the transition took time, but is now paying off in key duels.

“At the beginning, it was not easy for me to switch. I played my whole life on a G Pro superlight mouse,” he said. “But from the moment I started playing, I just feel more smooth in the game.”

Logitech G

He pointed specifically to pistol rounds and AWP angle clearing as the biggest gains.

“Pistols became better to just aim/shoot. With AWP, when you search angles, I feel comfortable.”

For fans looking to mirror his setup, m0NESY’s current SUPERSTRIKE click configuration sits at 5/4/5, with the Falcons star saying he simply prefers “more intense clicks.”

His individual performance at IEM Rio turned out to be one of his strongest of the year so far, finishing with a 1.48 HLTV rating – a big reason they were able to finally defeat Vitality in a close series.

For the team everyone still has circled, m0NESY was clear on what separates matches against Vitality from every other test.

“You need confidence to play vs them like this. The decision-making should be on point every round, there is no time to f**k around.”

Although they managed to defeat the tournament favorites and eventual champions, Falcons fell in the semi-finals to Spirit – but, a new IGL in Karrigan might be the final piece in their puzzle.