With the BLAST.tv Austin Major finished and the season wrapped up, Falcons announced the benching of Emil “Magisk” Reif.

On Monday, the Saudi organisation confirmed the long-anticipated roster change, revealing the signing of Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin Magisk is being moved to the sidelines after nearly two years on the team.

The move marks the end of a bumpy chapter for both the Danish rifler and the Saudi-backed team, who failed to live up to the big expectations.

Magisk reacts

Shortly after the official statement, Magisk took to social media to share his thoughts on the decision, admitting things didn’t work out the way he wanted.

– Time for the next chapter. With the Austin major now having concluded, I’m officially moved to Falcons’ bench. I feel eager and hungry as ever and can’t wait to continue my journey at the highest level of CS and show you what Im capable off.

– I’d like to thank all my teammates and Falcons. Although things didn’t work out the way we wanted, it has been a great learning experience for me, Magisk wrote on X.

Tough spell

Emil “Magisk” Reif became the first piece of Falcons’ new Counter-Strike roster when he signed in late 2023, joining forces with coach Danny “zonic” Sørensen to help build a Saudi-backed superteam. The project carried high ambitions from the start, but early results fell short of expectations.

Throughout 2024, the team struggled to find consistency and failed to qualify for both the Copenhagen and Shanghai Majors — a major setback given the lineup’s potential on paper.

It wasn’t until early 2025, with the blockbuster arrivals of NiKo and m0NESY, that Falcons began to rise as serious contenders. But as the lineup evolved, Magisk’s place in the team diminished, ultimately leading to his benching after nearly two years with the organization.