When you sign with a team dubbed a “super team,” the weight of the world comes with the jersey. For Rene “TeSeS” Madsen, stepping into the star-studded lineup of Team Falcons over a year ago meant leaving the familiar comfort of Danish rosters like Heroic and stepping into a high-stakes, high-budget pressure cooker.
Since their formation, Falcons have been under a microscope. Every missed shot is scrutinized, and every tournament exit brings a wave of community backlash. But as the team heads into their next gauntlet following a month-long break since PGL Cluj-Napoca, TeSeS is undergoing a personal metamorphosis. He is done playing the martyr.
You can see our video interview with TeSeS here.
Shedding the sacrificial mindset
For the past year, TeSeS has been adapting to life as an anchor – one of the most unforgiving roles in Counter-Strike. When he first took on the mantle alongside his superstar teammates, his initial instinct was pure selflessness. He was willing to be the sacrificial lamb if it meant making the rest of the server comfortable for the team’s heavy hitters.
“When kyousuke came in, I was like; okay I will do whatever for the team, and I will make sure, that they are as comfortable as possible, and I don’t care a single thing about myself. But this is the wrong approach, which I found out pretty quickly.”
That realization has sparked a crucial shift in his gameplay philosophy. Being a good teammate doesn’t always mean dropping your weapons for someone else or running in first to die. In modern Counter-Strike, a successful anchor needs to be a threat, capable of locking down sites and closing out unwinnable rounds.
To do that, TeSeS is actively changing how he navigates the server.
“Now I need to turn myself into a really good anchor, and prioritise myself with weapons, putting myself into good clutch situations, or sometimes being the second guy going in, and not always be in the sacrifice role.“
Diagnosing the “Choke” and Refining Team Play
This newfound assertiveness is exactly what Falcons need as they look to cure their struggles on the big stage. The community has often pointed the finger at the roster for “choking” under pressure, a narrative fueled by the immense expectations placed upon them.
To iron out these mistakes, Falcons have spent the last few weeks focusing heavily on team play and situational awareness. Instead of relying on individual heroics or aggressive peeks – a habit that comes naturally to highly skilled, flashy players – the roster is learning to play the percentages.
“We are working on playing for the team more in general. Not needing to shine by killing people, but being able to play time, when the bomb has been planted, for example.”
Tuning Out the Noise
Surviving the mental hurdles of playing for Falcons requires thick skin. TeSeS has faced loud calls from the community for his removal, and even tournament organizers like ESL have poked fun at the roster’s turbulence in comedic skits. Yet, the 25-year-old Dane remains remarkably unfazed.
“The amount of pressure that comes from the outside, from ourselves, and from the organization that wants to win trophies, it just does something to you mentally. But it’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s something you have to learn to perform under, and for me, it was one of the reasons why I said yes to this. I want to be in this environment, where I have to be on one of the best teams in the world.”
Looking Ahead
Despite playing without Maksim “kyousuke” Lukin, Falcons managed to win their first match at BLAST Rotterdam against NRG 2-0. Rene “TeSeS” Madsen ended the match as the second-highest-rated Falcons player with a 1.22 rating.
