by Team Falcons’ campaign at the ThunderPick World Championship started on a disappointing note, with a 0-2 (10-13, 9-13) defeat against 3DMAX in the opening round of Group A.
Over 100,000 viewers tuned in to watch Counter-Strike legend Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev make his much-anticipated return to competitive play after a seven-month hiatus.
The Ukrainian star, who joined Falcons on a short-term loan, showed signs of rust on Anubis—a map he rarely played while with Natus Vincere—struggling on both sides of the map.
However, he displayed glimpses of his former brilliance on Nuke, where his fragging potential came to life.
Despite s1mple’s efforts, including a standout 1v2 clutch and multiple high-impact rounds, Falcons’ overall lacklustre team performance led to a swift loss.
The team struggled to support s1mple’s 27-kill performance on Nuke as they faltered in key moments and squandered advantages.
3DMAX spoil s1mple's return with Falcons pic.twitter.com/hWNRr3DbDb
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) October 21, 2024
Meanwhile, OG completed a reserve sweep to defeat Virtus.pro 2-1 (10-13, 13-11, 13-5) in the other opening round clash of Group A.
OG, who entered the ThunderPick World Championship as the lowest ranked of the 16 teams, fell behind 1-0 after a lacklustre terrorist side on Dust2; however, they bounced back on Ancient, thanks to a dominant counter-terrorist side in the second half.
Anubis was the deciding map, and it was OG, led by Christian ‘Buzz’ Andersen, that sprinted out to a 10-2 halftime lead before securing a comfortable 13-5 victory to claim the series and set up a meeting with 3DMAX in the winners’ match.
The early struggles continued for Falcons in the Group A elimination match against Virtus.pro, resulting in their exit from the tournament after another 0-2 (9-13, 8-13) loss.
s1mple carried his momentum from Nuke into the series, posting a 41-32 K-D, 99.6 ADR, and 1.24 rating across Mirage and Anubis.
His individual efforts, however, could not compensate for the poor performances of his teammates, with Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer’s 23-33 K-D and 0.81 rating being the next-best display on the team.
Falcons showed promise on Anubis by securing a 7-5 lead on the counter-terrorist side, but their offensive play fell apart as they managed just one terrorist-side round against Virtus.pro’s sturdy defence.
The team’s lack of cohesion and limited preparation time was evident throughout the tournament.
Falcons finish last in the Thunderpick World Championship with zero map wins ?? pic.twitter.com/yHpZixVWUs
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) October 21, 2024
Later in the day, 3DMAX continued their strong form with a 2-0 (13-10, 13-11) win over OG in the next round, securing victories on Ancient and Inferno.
The French team, hovering around the No.20 mark in the world rankings, moved within one win of reaching the LAN finals.
OG struggled against 3DMAX but will take some positives from their performances, considering they played as last-minute replacements with a stand-in.
They now face Virtus.pro for the second time for a spot in the next stage.
As the Thunderpick World Championship progresses, 3DMAX aims to solidify their credentials by facing tougher competition, while Falcons must regroup and address the issues that led to their early exit.
The ThunderPick World Championship will continue on Tuesday, October 22, as Group B kicks off with The MongolZ vs Cloud9 and 9z Team vs Fnatic.
3DMAX come out as the winners of Group A in the Thunderpick World Championship ?????? pic.twitter.com/dP5Q7PtZZQ
— HLTV.org (@HLTVorg) October 21, 2024
