Just days after Falcons’ disaster at the Major RMR in Copenhagen, the team have confirmed the signing of s1mple on loan from NAVI to cover for the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown 2024. He replaces BOROS, who has been moved to the team’s bench, bringing an end to a four-month break from competitive play.

The GOAT returns

Image Credit: Adam Lakomy | © ESL

After s1mple announced a break from competitive CS back in October, it wasn’t clear if or when he’d be back on the server. Some thought he might never come back, suffering the same fate as others who have taken a similar break in the past. As the GOAT, s1mple is built different. We think he won’t miss a beat when he returns as the next part of the Falcons superteam. Replacing BOROS shouldn’t prove too difficult a task, with the player really struggling with zonic’s demands since the inception of this roster.

Credit: Falcons

His stint on Falcons will be temporary, at least initially. According to the official announcement, the signing is just a one-month loan deal while Falcons compete at the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown 2024. However, with NAVI currently settled with w0nderful on the roster for the foreseeable future, it isn’t difficult to imagine a world where this deal becomes permanent if it works out for Falcons, who will want to immediately bounce back from their failure to qualify for the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.

Who AWPs for Falcons now?

The presence of s1mple on Falcons raises one huge question for the team. Who will be the primary AWPer now? With SunPayus still on the roster, the team now has two primary AWPers. SunPayus is great, but s1mple is the GOAT. What do you do with a dilemma like this?

Who AWPs for Falcons: s1mple or SunPayus? Image Credits: PGL

We think SunPayus will remain the main AWPer for Falcons, at least for the time being. Back when s1mple first announced his break, he claimed any comeback could see a change in role to rifler, due to the AWPs being less effective in CS2. We think that’s exactly what this is – s1mple going back to his roots and taking up the rifler mantle once again. After all, he’s not a bad option to have if you need a secondary AWP on CT.

We can’t wait to see s1mple back on the server, even if seeing him not represent NAVI will take some getting used to. CS hasn’t been the same without him, and with the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown 2024 kicking off on March 6th, fans don’t have long to wait to see him in action once again.