Danny “zonic” Sørensen, the mastermind behind Astralis’ Counter-Strike success and a Major champion with Team Vitality, is making a groundbreaking move to Saudi Arabia to join Falcons.
In an exclusive interview with Dexerto’s Luis Mira, the five-time CS:GO Major winner confirmed his departure from Vitality, along with the team’s head of performance, Lars Robl. This comes just months after zonic led Vitality to a Major victory on their home turf in Paris. Both zonic and Robl will assume their new roles at Falcons starting from November 1st.
Zonic is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in esports history. During his tenure, the Astralis roster, which had previously fallen short of claiming titles, secured four Major championships, three of them consecutively. In a mere two years, he added a fifth title to his name with Vitality.
Speculation is already rife about the potential lineup for Falcons’ CS2 roster. Leakers suggest that zonic’s long-time players, Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen and Emil “Magisk” Reif, may join the Saudi Arabian squad. While rumors suggest that Falcons have a substantial budget, Grant Rousseau, Falcons’ global director of esports, assured Dexerto that their focus is on a sustainable, long-term project rather than reckless spending.
Zonic now faces a greater challenge than when he left Astralis for Vitality. At that time, Vitality already boasted a formidable lineup, including superstar Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut and veteran IGL Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, as well as partnerships with BLAST and ESL. In contrast, Falcons currently hold no partnered slots and are ranked 55th in HLTV’s world ranking.
Just two months after zonic officially takes the helm at Falcons, the first Major in CS2 will commence its qualification stages. This leaves little time to build a competitive roster. Fans of Counter-Strike will be eager to see if the Falcons lineup proves to be a shrewd management decision or an expensive disappointment.
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Source: DOTESPORTS
