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This is Falcons’ second attempt to sign m0NESY, and this time, it appears pen has been put to paper.
Superstar CS2 sniper Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov will reportedly link up with Falcons within the next few weeks, according to French journalist Guillaume “neL” Rathier, with the “blockbuster” move hinted at as early as late 2024.
The move would see m0NESY join up with long-time G2 teammate Nikola “NiKo” Kovač and undoubtedly make Falcons a powerhouse in the esport, whilst also leaving G2 scrambling to replace a second superstar player in six months.
Falcons to secure monster m0NESY signing before Austin
Falcons' addition of m0NESY appears all but set in stone according to areport from neLreleased on April 4. G2 received a Falcons offer for m0NESY as early as December 2024, right around when NiKo linked with the Saudi-backed project, but G2 at the time"palmed off" attemptsto sign the 19-year-old Russian.
G2 CEO Alban “Stilgar” Dechelotte confirmed Falcons had shown interest in m0NESYlast October, but added the Russian phenom was “the heart of the project” and would remain on G2 at least in the short-term.
It appears that term is up, with G2 seemingly unable to hold onto m0NESY any longer. His contract was set to expire in late 2025, meaning Falcons' second huge offer this April — reportedly the largest in Counter-Strike history — is one G2 couldn’t pass up.
m0NESY’s three-year stint on G2 saw him rise to become one of the best CS2 players in the game. Alongside his partner in crime NiKo, m0NESY and G2 took home six top-tier trophies and over $3.5 million USD in prize money. His 2025 season form remains sublime, recording a chart-topping1.29 HLTV ratingacross four big events.
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G2 unable to keep up with m0NESY’s 2025 form
However, results have been far from impressive as G2 navigates life after NiKo. To replace NiKo, G2 picked upCloud9’s Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynenko, but there have been growing pains as players switch positions in the roster. A top-four finish atBLAST Bounty Springwas followed by earlier exits atIEM Katowice, ESL Pro League Season 21, and BLAST Open Spring.
m0NESY would assuredly replace current Falcons sniper Abdulkhalik “degster” Gasanov whojoined the Saudi project in Januaryalongside fellow HEROIC core Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski and René “TeSeS” Madsen. It is unclear whether degster will be included in the transfer, or if G2 will need to look elsewhere to replace their livewire AWPer.
For their part, Falcons has also struggled at big events in 2025. Asurprise runner-up performance at PGL Cluj-Napocawas otherwise surrounded by pre-playoff exits at big events; the best outside of the Romanian event was a 9th-11th finish atEPL Season 21.
Should the m0NESY-to-Falcons move be locked-in next week, we would likely see m0NESY play his first event with the team afterPGL Bucharest, meaning IEM Melbourne may be his Falcons debut. A longer delay, and his first appearance may come at BLAST Rivals in Copenhagen or IEM Dallas.
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