The Macedonian in-game leader shared his thoughts during a 45-minute interview with K Bizzy from Half Time CS, where he discussed the shock of the decision, Falcons’ internal plans, and his frustration over how quickly the project ended.
“It still came as a shock to me”
According to kyxsan, he learned about the roster change shortly after arriving at IEM Rio. While he suspected the conversation would not be positive, he did not expect to be removed from the lineup.
I arrived, the same day, I got a message from the manager that we needed to talk. I knew it wouldn’t be a nice talk from the way he said it. But it still came as a shock to me because, before this day, there was never a discussion in the team about making changes.Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski
He explained that the Falcons roster always viewed itself as a long-term project rather than a team expected to instantly win trophies.
I am aware, everyone is aware, that we were not playing our best game this year but this is a project that we wanted to build long-term. It wasn’t about winning an event now. This team was promised time.Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski
“There’s no bad blood”
Although disappointed with the decision, kyxsan made it clear that he does not hold personal resentment toward the organization or his former teammates.
Still, he believes the lineup deserved more patience after months of steady results and multiple deep tournament runs.
I understand the decision, that we didn’t do the best this year and that at some point something has to change. But I do think it’s unfair to me, we were promised time and that this was something we wanted to do long term. I feel like we didn’t get that in the end, everything just fell apart.Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski
There’s no bad blood, I just think that team deserved a bit more time, and a bit more trust.Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski
Falcons showed consistency despite no trophies
During the interview, kyxsan defended the progress Falcons made over the last seven months with Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin in the lineup.
Despite failing to win a title, the roster consistently reached playoffs and grand finals while remaining among the world’s top teams statistically.
We didn’t win a trophy, but most of the time we were playing good CS.Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski
He also pointed to the team’s overall numbers during that stretch:
- 76 wins in 121 maps played
- Only two missed playoff appearances
- Three grand final appearances
According to kyxsan, those results proved the roster was moving in the right direction and deserved more time together.
The timing made the situation even harder
Another difficult aspect for kyxsan was the timing of the move. Because Falcons made the decision during IEM Rio, the Major roster lock had already become a major issue, effectively preventing him from joining another lineup before the next Major cycle.
In his final Falcons vlog, kyxsan admitted he struggled mentally during the tournament after receiving the news while also dealing with jet lag and lack of sleep.
He also noted in the interview that Falcons had previously made similar sudden decisions involving Emil “Magisk” Reif and Abdul “degster” Gasanov, though he still did not expect it to happen to him.
What’s next for kyxsan?
Despite the disappointment, kyxsan said he wants to return to competition as quickly as possible and remains motivated for the future.
The interview also touched on pressure from the community, criticism surrounding Falcons’ performances, and how he sees his long-term future in Counter-Strike.
For now, however, the 25-year-old leaves Falcons believing the project ended before it truly had the chance to fully develop.
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