Monte secure Spring Showdown spot with win over Aurora

It's quite easy to focus on what a player isn't - or what a player can't do.

Especially when one lives inside the swirling tornado of social media, criticism and negativity too often become the modus operandi, as it tends to be louder and more interacted with.

The latest scapegoat for this seems to be BOROS, whose start on Falcons has been up and down.

Photo: Stephanie Lindgren

BOROS is a player with a preceding reputation; he wasn't spoken of as highly by former teammates as one might imagine, given his impressive performances, most notably at the BLAST.tv Paris Major.

Now he has a high-profile gig, his flaws are highlighted.

He isn't a polished diamond.

BOROS makes errors - everyone knows it, but now he's with players who have made careers out of not really making errors; it stands out.

BOROS overpeeks at times when he doesn't need to make a play, and his utility usage isn't the best. He'd probably admit that himself. It does seem obvious when you put him on a team with a player like Snappi, who demands discipline and perfection.

We as humans, though, shouldn't be defined by our flaws.

Photo: Michal Konkol

Uncut diamond or cubic zirconium?

All that glistens is not gold, and thus, all that sparkles is not a diamond - but there are flashes of brilliance in BOROS' gameplay that Falcons are sort of lacking.

The team doesn't have a bona fide superstar rifler right now.

While Magisk is obviously brilliant, and Maden is a soldier, neither are of the calibre of NiKo, who was touted to join in terms of star power.

This leaves BOROS in a weird spot, where he has to be NiKo and is compared to a player who Falcons don't even have, and have never had.

He isn't NiKo, but nobody is - and BOROS has the raw ability to be a superstar if he can be tamed.

For every misstep BOROS makes, he does something few other players can.

For every ridiculous moment, there's a sublime one.

His ability to take and win duels in the early round is remarkable and undeniably - albeit fleetingly - reminiscent of the Bosnian.

Photo: Stephanie Lindgren

Because Falcons failed at the RMR, people will focus on the negatives - but when BOROS was ripping heads off in Katowice, there wasn't that much talk about how good he is at that part of the game.

Yes, BOROS is raw, but Snappi can sand off the rough edges and create a genuine superstar over time. In fact, there are few IGLs better for the job.

Is it all sunshine and rainbows?

Of course, time is a commodity too oft forsaken in esports.

Snappi, and Falcons, will be under pressure to get results immediately.

This is not a team that was built to go out at the RMRs and be happy with deep runs in big tournaments. You don't pick up players like these, and spend this sort of money, to not win.

Photo: Stephanie Lindgren

It stands to reason, therefore, that Falcons might not give the time to BOROS to learn how to harness his talent as they relentlessly pursue greatness.

There's no time to create superstars at the top - you have to be there immediately.

BOROS has possibly the best opportunity he will ever get to rise to the occasion and become the superstar that his highlight reel seems to suggest he can be, but it might already be passing him by.

If he gets another few months with this roster, he has to knuckle down and listen to everything he gets told.

Snappi and zonic can transform BOROS into a legitimately fantastic player who can be everything that Falcons need - but his issue is that they have the funds to buy a player who is already that.

Even if BOROS leaves Falcons, someone else will fancy themselves as the person to bring out consistent brilliance from him.

BOROS has the world at his fingertips.

He has a ridiculous ability to take unwinnable duels and an innate understanding of timing and pacing in the early round, which is almost impossible to teach and rare to find.

While it's easy to talk about the things he doesn't do that well, the things he does do well are game-changing, hard to replicate and frankly, extremely enjoyable to watch.

If all that goes to waste, it will be a real shame.

It's all in his own hands, now.