Zonic gives karrigan the ‘keys to the ship’ as IGL

Falcons made a late roster change ahead of PGL Astana, signing Finn “karrigan” Andersen to replace Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski as in-game leader. The team opened the Swiss stage with a narrow win over K27 while operating under the new leadership.

Coach Danny “zonic” Sørensen said the change was aimed at adding leadership and structure to a roster with many strong personalities. He emphasized that karrigan provided clear direction, especially on attacking rounds, and that the short preparation window required a decisive voice on the server. “He brings a lot of energy, a lot of mood, but also leadership,” Zonic told reporters.

The signing arrived days before the tournament in Astana. Zonic praised kyxsan as having a bright future and declined to detail the internal reasons for the change, referring to events before and during the Rio event as part of the context for the decision.

Falcons moved quickly to integrate karrigan’s approach. Zonic said karrigan implemented much of his offensive system immediately, and some players had to adapt to new roles with limited practice time. “It’s a lot of new stuff coming in, of course mainly on the T sides. karrigan is bringing his system,” he noted.

On defense, Zonic gave more in-round responsibility to Nikola “NiKo” Kovač and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov while describing karrigan as a connector who offers a second perspective when needed. Zonic said the CT side has been less of a focus in recent sessions but still needs fine-tuning in calls and late-round execution.

Zonic highlighted individual development as a priority. He pointed to Maxim “kyousuke” as a player who must log more game time and keep working on his craft to meet pro standards. Zonic said his goal was to make karrigan feel in control and supported so the new leader can rebuild confidence.

Taking responsibility for past results, Zonic said errors were shared across the lineup and that he also accepts part of the blame. He announced the players were allowed to play FACEIT matches before the event to increase in-game reps: “they have been allowed to play some FACEITs before this event,” he said.

Beyond Astana, Zonic framed the work as preparation for the upcoming Major. He said the staff is concentrating on readying the roster across multiple maps rather than focusing solely on short-term outcomes. Falcons will continue in the Swiss stage with karrigan calling plays, and the coach expects consistent professionalism from the team regardless of the opponent.