TeSeS: Tough IEM Cologne bracket gives Falcons strong path

At the IEM Cologne Major media day before the playoffs, Team Falcons coach René ‘TeSeS’ Madsen described his side of the playoff bracket as the tougher half, with Vitality scheduled in the quarter-finals and the winner of Spirit versus G2 likely to be their semi-final opponent.

Madsen called the draw a motivating sequence and joked, “Oh, we are a grand final team, so we’ll get the second place.” He added that facing strong opponents from the start gives the team a clear list of opponents to prepare for.

On roster integration, Madsen described work with new karrigan CS2 in-game leader and said Falcons are still adjusting from match to match. He pointed to an early loss to BetBoom and uneven games against Monte and NAVI as specific instances the team used to identify areas for improvement.

Madsen outlined recent role changes, including his own shifts on Mirage and Dust2. “At first, I struggled a lot with Dust2 B; now, Dust2 B is on full lockdown,” he noted, adding that Mirage A has been more problematic against NAVI. He said opponents’ game plans have sometimes forced role changes between matches.

With Ilya ‘m0NESY’ Osipov absent from the media day because of illness, Madsen addressed criticism of aggressive peeks. He explained the team reviews those plays objectively and balances freedom for high-impact players with situational restraint. “When we’re leading, we’re feeling good, the economy is well, and we have the space to take risks, he should go for it because he can secure the round from 60% to 100% by getting that extra kill,” Madsen noted. He added that feedback is shared without personal friction.

Madsen compared the current bracket to the one in Budapest, where Falcons faced Spirit early. Falcons will meet Team Vitality in the IEM Cologne Major quarter-final and are preparing roles, communication and match plans ahead of the playoffs.