After much speculation, Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov has officially left G2 Esports for Team Falcons, reuniting with NiKo. The move closes a trophy-laden chapter for G2, as the org begins to rebuild ahead of the next CS2 season.
Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov's time at G2 Esports has officially come to an end. G2's CEO confirmed rumors of an alleged trade to Team Falcons. This move means m0NESY will be reunited with his former G2 team-mate Niko, and marks the end of an era for G2 Esports' CS2 team.
Speculation peaked after French journalist Guillaume 'neL' Rathier claimed on April 4 that pen had been put to paper. Official news of m0NESY's upcoming moving to Team Falcons came just hours after Team Falcons were crowned champions at PGL Bucharest. Their opponent in the Grand Final? m0NESY and G2 Esports.
"Rumors are true" says G2 CEO, confirms transfer
"Rumors are true. We have decided to accept the trade of our young goat of CS," said Alban Dechelotte, CEO of G2 Esports on social media.
Dechelotte explained that with m0NESY's contract ending in December, G2 decided to take the trade now instead of wait out the end of his contract.
"We decided to maximize our chance of rebuilding our team for the future with this trade instead of hoping for a last minute turn of events."
The G2 CEO went on to explain that the player transfer was "a decision on org-level" and not one made by the CS management, staff or players.
"I'm very sad to see Ilya [m0NESY] go but I wish him the best and thank him for the magic moments he gave us.
After 4 years of failing to lift CS trophies under the previous management, this roster and their staff have finally landed 6 trophies in the last 2 years for the G2 banner including Cologne and Katowice among others."
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"This was a chapter that made me stronger" - m0NESY
Shortly after the trade was confirmed by G2's management, m0NESY posted his farewell message to the G2 fanbase.
"Sorry, that's it. Thank you to everyone who supported G2 and me all this time. This was a chapter that made me stronger," said m0NESY on Twitter.
"People who will stay in my memory forever. A team that was my home, my second family. Thank you for everything. The story ends here. The story inside - never."
While the final roster is still unconfirmed, the expected Team Falcons roster is:
- kyxsan (IGL)
- TeSeS
- Magisk
- NiKo
- m0NESY
- Danny "zonic" Sørensen (coach)
m0NESY is expected to replace degster and to make his debut for Team Falcons at the upcoming BLAST.tv Austin Major in June.
A legacy of wins - career highlights
m0NESY joined G2 Esports from Natus Vincere in February 2022, making his offline debut for the team at IEM Katowice 2022, placing 2nd. A year later, m0NESY and G2 Esports returned to Katowice to take home the trophy. M0nesy is now in the top 20 highest earnings CS2 players of all-time.
During his time at G2 Esports, m0NESY won six offline titles:
- #1 BLAST Premier: World Finals
- #1 IEM Katowice 2023
- #1 IEM Cologne 2023
- #1 IEM Dallas 2024
- #1 BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2024
- #1 BLAST Premier: World Final 2024
G2 CEO: "It was obvious that he [m0NESY] was becoming a bit disconnected"
After thanking m0NESY for his contributions to G2 - which includes 6 trophies - G2's Alban Dechelotte went on to give more context around the decision.
"It was obvious that he was becoming a bit disconnected from the rest of the team due to his situation and it was very difficult to have meaningful conversations with potential talents without the clarity around his future,"
"Now that the decision has been made we are gonna make the best of the last 3 events of the season and work in parallel to prepare for the next season with ambition."
The G2 CEO went on to say that G2 Esports has a history of building rosters and building stars, and are "not afraid to reset and rebuild".
