The first reports of NiKo getting ready to leave the European Counter-Strike squad started in August, linking the 27-year-old with Team Falcons.
While NiKo’s departure has yet to be officially announced peca’s recent post on X suggests the roster changes are all but confirmed.
“See you soon in Shanghai for the last dance,” he said, hinting that the Shanghai Major will indeed be the last time this roster plays together.
Singapore, you were awesome. We are your BLAST WORLDS Champions!
Important one for the reassurance but also crucial to keep our heads cool for what is coming next.
See you soon in Shanghai for the last dance. pic.twitter.com/57UV4t1IKM
— G2 Peca (@pecagg) November 3, 2024
The X post surfaced less than a week after G2 Esports CEO Alban Dechelotte revealed in an interview that the team might be planning for a future without NiKo after the signing of Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa.
“But the fact that we signed malbsMd in July when he’s playing the same positions as NiKo, maybe it’s a bit of an anticipation of what’s to come, and maybe we’re already working on who will replace malbs in his anchor position, and he could move into the positions that NiKo will be leaving at the end of December,” he said.
This is the second time Team Falcons have chased NiKo, who they first approached in 2023 amid an ambitious roster rebuild.
Initially, it was reported he would join the Saudi squad, but NiKo decided to stay with G2 Esports in a surprising twist.
New reports, however, suggest a deal has been finalised and NiKo will leave G2 after four years upon the conclusion of Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024.
The tournament is set to kick off on November 30, featuring 24 Counter-Strike teams who will vie for the lion’s share of the US$1.25 million prize pool.
The top esports betting sites have yet to release outright markets for the Major; however, punters can find odds for the upcoming Regional Major Rankings (RMR) events in the Americas, Asia, and Europe.
]]>
NaVi’s in-game leader, Aleksi ‘Aleksib’ Virolainen, continued his flawless run against the team that cut him in June of last year, with the grand final victory taking his record to 7-0 against the world number six.
Entering the Esports World Cup as the world number five in the CS2 world rankings, Natus Vincere was rated as a $7.00 chance and fifth favourite by esports betting sites to lift the trophy.
THEY'VE DONE IT!@natusvincere ARE YOUR #EsportsWorldCup #CS2 CHAMPIONS!
@AleksibCSGO
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 21, 2024
However, it wasn’t the reigning Major champions that entered the grand final as the favourites, with G2’s form seemingly stacking up better than that of NaVi’s after they dismantled Virtus.pro in the semi-finals and defeated Team Spirit in the quarters.
The series started on Ancient, where G2 got off to a fast start and took an 8-4 halftime lead before NaVi responded with their own 8-4 half to take the game to overtime.
In overtime, it was Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kova? and Mario ‘malbsMd’ Samayoa that stood up for G2 and carried the team to a 16-14 win on their own map pick.
Aleksib and his squad would have been happy to move onto their comfort map pick of Nuke for the second map of the series.
Although they traded rounds with G2 and went into halftime with the score locked at 6-apiece, NaVi rattled off seven straight round wins to claim the map in dominant fashion and take the grand final to a third and final map.
Valeriy ‘b1t’ Vakhovskiy and Justinas ‘jL’ Lekavicius led the server in kills and rating after producing a near-flawless counter-terrorist side.
On Inferno, NaVi strung seven straight rounds together early in the first half and took a comfortable 9-3 halftime lead before the switch of sides, with b1t leading the way, recording a massive 1.84 rating on the terrorist side.
The two squads traded rounds in the second half, but with b1t still firing on all cylinders, G2 had no answer, and Natus Vincere wrapped up the series with another 13-6 scoreline to claim the Esports World Cup CS2 title.
@G2NiKo is the offical #EsportsWorldCup #CS2 PlayStation MVP! He earned an extra $50,000 for his efforts!
What a performance!
pic.twitter.com/1pG58Brpz1
— Esports World Cup (@EWC_EN) July 21, 2024
On a positive note for G2, NiKo was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the Esports World Cup event and collected the US$50,000 prize.
He finished the tournament with a 1.35 rating, +58 kill/death difference, and 94.2 average damage per round (ADR).
Both NaVi and G2 will return to Europe and prepare for the upcoming BLAST Premier Fall Groups, which will begin on Monday, July 29, in Copenhagen, Denmark.
]]>Led by Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen and his squad, G2 showcased their prowess by triumphing over Into the Breach and Eternal Fire in best-of-one matchups before clinching a crucial victory against FaZe in a best-of-three qualifying showdown.
Copenhagen, be ready, @G2CSGO is coming after a 3W-0L record at the PGL CS2 RMR EU 1!#PGLRMR pic.twitter.com/TpUSTrUjAV
— PGL (@pglesports) February 15, 2024
Undoubtedly, the standout performer for G2 was Nikola “NiKo” Kova?, whose stellar performance was instrumental in securing the team’s triumph.
Particularly noteworthy was NiKo’s outstanding display on maps like Anubis and Ancient, where he showcased his prowess with critical plays and clutch moments, significantly improving upon his recent performances.
On Anubis, a closely contested affair early on, G2’s T-side prowess ultimately proved decisive, with NiKo’s exceptional performance and unexpected contributions from HooXi tipping the scales in their favour.
Moving to Ancient, a map where FaZe had previously bested G2, NiKo once again shone, delivering clutch plays, including a remarkable 1vs2 ace clutch, to secure victory for his team.
Despite the loss, FaZe remains a formidable contender, with opportunities still available in the 2-1 pool.
Virtus.pro, on the other hand, has also secured their place at the PGL Major Copenhagen with an impressive performance in the Europe RMR A tournament.
@virtuspro has officially qualified for the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024!
— PGL (@pglesports) February 15, 2024
Virtus.pro recorded dominant wins over SAW and Fnatic in best-of-one series before easing past Natus Vincere in two maps to lock in their spot at the Major.
Led by Dzhami “Jame” Ali, Virtus.pro displayed resilience and dominance throughout, securing straightforward wins and showcasing their potential as a formidable force in the upcoming Major.
The PGL Major Copenhagen will be a chance for VP to get redemption after they were unable to qualify for the BLAST.tv Paris Major in 2023.
Meanwhile, Into The Breach and Ninjas in Pyjamas’ dreams of making the opening Major of the 2024 season were crushed as they were eliminated from the Europe RMR A in last place.
Friday’s Europe RMR A matches
- AMKAL ($2.62) vs Falcons ($1.44) @ 1pm EET
- Fnatic ($1.57) vs KOI ($2.25) @ 1pm EET
- 9 Pandas ($1.83) vs 3DMAX ($1.83) @ 4pm EET
- FaZe Clan ($1.53) vs Eternal Fire ($2.37) @ 4pm EET
- Enterprise ($2.62) vs SAW ($1.44) @ 7pm EET
- Natus Vincere ($1.28) vs BetBoom Team ($3.50) @ 7pm EET
]]>
After entering the US$1 million tournament with the second-youngest roster, with only MOUZ featuring a squad with a lower average age, Team Spirit finished the event with a dominant clean sweep.
Spirit only dropped one map from 15 played across the IEM Katowice play-in stage, group stage, and playoffs, with their only defeat coming at the hands of Natus Vincere.
At just 17 years of age, Danil ��donk�� Kyrshkovets recorded one of the best debut performances ever witnessed in Counter-Strike esports, and he was awarded the Most Valuable Player for the event.
Donk finished his ‘Big Event’ debut with a 1.70 rating and 110 ADR, equalling Nikola ��NiKo�� Kovac��s record but with more maps played.
The youngest ever player to lift the #IEM Katowice trophy.
The youngest ever player to win an #IEM Katowice MVP.
The highest rated player in #IEM Katowice history.@donk1337 is here. pic.twitter.com/nTb2BvBoaC
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) February 11, 2024
After winning IEM Katowice in 2022, one may have expected FaZe Clan to give Spirit headaches throughout the series, but after a close loss on Nuke, which was their opening map pick, it appeared as though FaZe were in for a gruelling series.
Finn ��karrigan�� Andersen and his team bounced back on the second map and started well on Mirage, taking a 7-5 lead into the halftime break; however, Leonid ��chopper�� Vishnyakov responded with some great calls in the second half as Spirit won seven of the next eight rounds to claim a 12-8 lead.
Although David ��frozen�� Cernansky helped FaZe rally to bring the score back to 12-11, Spirit would win an eco-round to close out the map and claim a 2-0 lead going onto Overpass for what would be the third and final map.
Unlike Nuke and Mirage, Overpass was not even close, with donk once again leading the way as Team Spirit wrapped up the series and tournament with a 13-3 demolition job.
For a team that has only been together for two months, the sky is the limit for Team Spirit, and with the PGL Major Copenhagen just around the corner, there is no doubt they will be one of the favourites.
.@Team__Spirit LIFT THE #IEM KATOWICE 2024 TROPHY
AND THEY DO IT IN STYLE. pic.twitter.com/grEghKop0F
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) February 11, 2024
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The Bosnian star was widely anticipated to join the Falcons, with reports suggesting that a deal was nearly sealed.
However, in a surprising twist, NiKo opted to extend his tenure with G2, the organization he has called home since November 2020.
I stay.
— NiKo (@G2NiKo) November 6, 2023
G2’s General Manager, Petar “?peca?” Markovi?, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome.
“Happy to put an end to all the rumours, gossip, and speculations with the final verdict��Niko is here to stay at G2,” he said.
“As previously mentioned, we are of the firm opinion that he plays an incredibly unique role in our team that would be hard to replace, and we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve reached an agreement for him to remain with our team.”
This decision dealt a significant blow to Falcons, who had hoped to secure NiKo as the cornerstone of their revamped squad.
Falcons had already made strategic moves, appointing Danny “?zonic?” S?rensen as their head coach and reportedly reaching agreements with Emil “?Magisk?” Reif and Marco “?Snappi?” Pfeiffer.
The future of G2’s line-up remains a point of intense speculation during the roster mania period, as many teams seek to strengthen their rosters in preparation for the PGL Copenhagen Major.
Notably, peca has stated that G2 will not entertain offers for Ilya “?m0NESY?” Osipov, who was also a high-priority target for Falcons.
In the aftermath of NiKo’s decision, it has been reported that Falcons have set their sights on Alvaro “?SunPayus?” Garcia of ENCE and Dmitry “?sh1ro?” Sokolov, a benched player from Cloud9.
G2 is gearing up for the BLAST Premier World Final, which is their final event of the year, and they aim to defend the title they won in 2022.
Their recent top-four finish at IEM Sydney 2023 has kept the Counter-Strike community eager to see what successes lie ahead for the team.
NiKo’s loyalty to G2, despite a lucrative offer from Falcons, underscores his pivotal role in the organization’s past triumphs, which include notable victories at the BLAST Premier World Final in December 2022, IEM Katowice in February 2023, and IEM Cologne in August 2023.
With this decision, G2 can now concentrate on their preparations for upcoming CS2 tournaments.
]]>ENCE’s CS:GO team, led by Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia, left no chance for the Spanish squad with impressive score lines of 16-2 on Overpass and 16-5 on Anubis.
SunPayus, the AWPer for ENCE, delivered a stellar performance with a remarkable 1.72 rating.
In a pre-game interview, Guy “NertZ” Iluz offered praise for his teammate’s outstanding performance by saying, “when SunPayus is feeling the game, I don’t think anyone can stop him.”
Movistar Riders struggled to hold their ground, lasting less than ten rounds on Overpass before succumbing to ENCE’s dominance.
Despite some close and chaotic situations early in the match, Riders failed to capitalize on them, allowing ENCE to cruise to victory.
ENCE displayed their superiority with a convincing 16-2 win.
The momentum carried into the Anubis map, where SunPayus continued to shine by quickly securing rounds for his team.
Although Alejandro “alex” Masanet and his team managed to win three of the last five rounds in the first half, the switch favoured Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer’s ENCE squad.
ENCE’s pistol round victory sealed the deal as they went on a 6-0 run to finish the map 16-5.
Despite the one-sided nature of the series, Antonio “Martinez” Martinez of Movistar Riders maintained a respectable 1.07 rating, offering a silver lining for his team in the face of such a dominant defeat.
.@ENCE demolish @Movistar_Riders 2-0, securing their spot in the SEMI FINALS of #ESLProLeague Season 18!
16-2 Overpass
16-5 Anubis pic.twitter.com/D8MBLkwvjc— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 29, 2023
In an upset, MOUZ eliminated G2 from the ESL Pro League with a 2-1 victory.
They secured wins on Mirage (16-13) and Inferno (16-7) while narrowly losing on Ancient (14-16).
G2 entered the match as favourites but were plagued by disappointing individual performances.
Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov struggled in the second half of Mirage, Nikola “NiKo” Kova? had a tough time on Inferno, and G2’s renowned mechanical skill didn’t fully materialize.
The Mirage map started poorly for MOUZ, falling behind 1-7 while G2 dominated. However, MOUZ made a comeback, narrowing the score to 7-8 at halftime.
G2 struggled in the second half, and MOUZ secured a 16-13 victory.
On G2’s pick of Ancient, they took an early lead, but MOUZ mounted a comeback.
The game appeared to be firmly in control of G2 until MOUZ rallied late, bringing the score close.
However, NiKo’s exceptional performance with a three-kill clutch secured the win for G2 and forced a decider.
In the decider on Inferno, MOUZ took control early on, limiting G2 to just one round in the second half.
MOUZ secured a convincing 16-7 victory to seal the series win in their favour.
��d��m “torzsi” Torzs��s, speaking after the game, expressed excitement about their upcoming rematch with ENCE, the team that defeated MOUZ in the IEM Dallas grand final earlier in the year.
He acknowledged the challenge posed by ENCE and the tough playoff bracket ahead.
ENCE will go into the semi-final as slight favourites with most esports betting sites at $1.72 with MOUZ being marked as $2.00 outsiders.
.@mousesports are going to the SEMI FINALS by taking down @G2CSGO 2-1 at #ESLProLeague Season 18
16-13 Mirage
14-16 Ancient
16-7 Inferno pic.twitter.com/I9J9AadW0W— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) September 29, 2023
]]>
THE LAST CS:GO #IEM COLOGNE CHAMPIONS.@G2esports HAVE DONE IT
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) August 6, 2023
Although IEM Cologne 2023 wasn��t a Major, it could turn out to be the most prestigious edition of the event, as the LANXESS Arena that is known as the ��Cathedral of Counter-Strike�� held its final ever CS:GO tournament.
There were a lot of people questioning G2’s decision to not change their roster after it struggled at the Paris Major in April, with many suggesting that they should drop their in-game leader Rasmus ��HooXi�� Nielsen.
However, their decision to stick with their Danish leader and keep this stacked roster together paid dividends, as their two-star players Nikola ��NiKo�� Kovac and Ilya ��m0NESY�� Osipov carried their team through the playoffs.
The grand final series started on ENCE��s map pick of Nuke �C a map that ENCE had won their last 10 matches on �C however, the streak would be ended abruptly by a rampant G2, as they took the map 16-4 to set the tone for the best-of-five series.
G2 took their 1-0 series lead onto their map pick of Mirage, and even though ENCE were much more competitive, m0NESY and NiKo took over in the second half and wrapped up the map 16-10 to give their team a 2-0 lead.
ENCE went into their second map pick on Anubis with no room for error, as they would need to win Anubis to keep the series alive.
Led by their in-game leader Marco ��Snappi�� Pfeiffer, ENCE dominated the first half of the map and took a 10-5 halftime lead, before eventually wrapping up the map 16-13 to send the match to Ancient.
Much like Nuke, G2 lent on their stars as they kicked off their map pick with a 9-6 first half, with m0NESY and NiKo combining for 32 kills �C which was two more kills than the entire ENCE roster combined.
Even though ENCE started the second half with three straight round wins, G2 piled on seven straight and took the map 16-9 and series 3-1.
After finishing the series with 91 kills, 98.4 average damage per round, +38 in kill/death differential and a rating of 1.49, NiKo was named the IEM Cologne 2023 Most Valuable Player.
]]>The number one CS:GO team in the world ended their IEM Katowice 2023 campaign undefeated, winning five straight series while only dropping one map on their way to a $400,000 winner’s cheque.
This G2 roster has now won back-to-back tournaments, after they ended their 2022 season with a win in the BLAST Premier World Final in Abu Dhabi back in December.
THE LATEST INDUCTEES INTO THE HALL OF HEROES.
YOUR #IEM KATOWICE 2023 CHAMPIONS
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) February 12, 2023
The win in Katowice, Poland, is regarded as a massive breakthrough for many reasons for this G2 roster, with their star player Nikola ��NiKo�� Kovac winning his first IEM Katowice title at his fourth attempt.
Meanwhile, the IEM Katowice MVP, Justin ��jks�� Savage, has picked up back-to-back IEM Katowice titles having also won the event as a stand-in with FaZe Clan in 2022, becoming the first player to win the title in consecutive years with different teams.
JUSTIN KATOWICE SAVAGE.
THE ONLY PLAYER TO WIN #IEM KATOWICE BACK TO BACK WITH DIFFERENT TEAMS.
pic.twitter.com/6RFYxkVS9z
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) February 12, 2023
Now that G2 have broken the so called ��G2 curse�� and been successful in consecutive tournaments, we could now see the international squad go on a run similar to that of FaZe Clan, who won IEM Katowice, ESL Pro League, PGL Major Antwerp and IEM Cologne in 2022.
As for Heroic, they have now made the grand final at IEM Katowice and the IEM Rio Major but fallen short on both occasions, which is starting to become somewhat of a trend at big tournaments for the Danish roster.
Both teams will now move onto ESL Pro League Season 17 in Malta, where they will begin the event as the top two contenders in the $850,000 tournament.
G2 Esports are $3.50 outright favourites with Heroic next at $5.50 on most esports betting sites for the next event on the 2023 CS:GO calendar.
]]>The European Counter-Strike: Global Offensive franchise, led by the exceptional performance of Nikola “NiKo” Kovac, was able to remain undefeated and secure their spot in the Grand Final of the group with a 2-0 victory.
Haven't lost a map in 2023
pic.twitter.com/1yZiYjCxpE
— G2 Esports (@G2esports) January 23, 2023
The match began on Nuke, which was chosen by Natus Vincere as their map pick. G2 Esports made an impressive start, taking a 4k pistol-round hold thanks to NiKo’s exceptional display. This set the tone for the rest of the game, with G2 quickly taking a commanding early 5-0 lead on the CT side.
Natus Vincere attempted to fight back with an all-important 1vs2 clutch by Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev in the sixth round, but NiKo’s aggressive playstyle around the Outside portion of the map helped G2 maintain their lead and secure an 8-1 lead. NaVi’s proficiency with using a combination of Galil-ARs and Tec-9s provided some positive takeaways, but G2 Esports continued to dominate, ending the first half with a 12-3 lead.
At the start of the second half of the map, NaVi attempted a comeback by responding to G2’s opening two-round streak with five shutouts of their own, reducing the deficit to 8-14. Despite this resurgence, G2 were able to secure back-to-back round wins and ultimately secure a comfortable 16-10 victory. NiKo’s outstanding performance, which saw him record a 32-16 kill-death ratio, 130 ADR, and a 1.96 rating was the crucial boost that enabled G2 to best NaVi on their own chosen map.
On the second map of the series, Inferno, G2 started strong by successfully winning the pistol round. They capitalized on Natus Vincere’s weaknesses on the B-site and established a strong 4-0 lead at the beginning of the offensive effort. Despite the slow start, Natus Vincere quickly adapted and built a solid defense, limiting G2’s progress and leveling the score to 4-5.
The match continued to be intense and closely contested as G2 made calculated bomb site takes, but Natus Vincere’s defense remained strong. In the end, G2 narrowly came out on top, with Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen and NiKo leading the team with ten frags each.
On the defensive side, G2 Esports continued their aggressive strategy and effectively neutralized Natus Vincere’s tactics to establish a 14-7 lead. Despite the deficit, Natus Vincere fought back and managed to secure back-to-back 2vs2 clutches, narrowing the gap to 11-14. Despite Natus Vincere’s valiant efforts, G2 Esports’s powerful game plan ultimately proved too much for them to handle, resulting in G2 securing the win with a final score of 22-18 on Inferno.
Natus Vincere’s defeat in the match resulted in their descent to the Lower Bracket Final, where they will have to demonstrate a flawless run in order to secure a spot in the BLAST Premier Spring Final without facing elimination in the knockout stage. As for G2 Esports, they will proceed to the final round of their group and strive to maintain their victorious streak against the winner of the Lower Bracket Final.
G2’s win over Natus Vincere is a statement to the rest of the competition, showing that they are a force to be reckoned with and a team to watch out for. The European franchise’s cohesion and teamwork were on full display, and their aggressive playstyle proved to be a winning formula. The team’s ability to adapt and adjust to Natus Vincere’s tactics was also a key factor in their victory.
First game MVP, gg @G2NiKo
#BLASTPremier @G2esports @Maersk pic.twitter.com/Zv01LnV9g2
— BLAST Premier
(@BLASTPremier) January 23, 2023
Overall, the match was a showcase of the exceptional talent and skill of G2 and the leadership of NiKo. His performance was the driving force behind G2’s victory, and his aggressive playstyle and calculated decision-making proved to be too much for Natus Vincere to handle. The Bosnian rifler’s dominance on both Nuke and Inferno was evident, as he earned a 1.59 rating in both maps and was awarded the player of the match.
]]>Being one of the most successful esports organisations in the world, FaZe boast a massive following across a number of popular game titles. That popularity comes at a cost, however, and we have seen this week what happens when those high expectations are not met.
Although FaZe Clan are perhaps best known for their involvement in the Call of Duty esports scene, their most successful project remains their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team. In the past few years, however, the FaZe CS:GO team have struggled to make an impact at the highest level.
Most recently, FaZe Clan attended the prestigious ESL One Cologne tournament, which features Europe’s very best CS:GO teams and US $325,000 in the prize pool. After losing 0-2 to Heroic and beating MiBr 2-1, Janko “YNk” Paunovi?’s side then suffered an agonising 2-0 defeat to Team Vitality to bow out in the second round of the lower bracket.
FaZe’s poor performance in their series against Vitality caused a fair amount of backlash from their fans on social media, who called out NiKo and his crew for falling short yet again. Most of the hate, however, was pointed towards Markus “Kjaerbye” Kj?rbye, who just recently took over for Aurimas “Bymas” Pipiras.
And with all our playoff teams locked in we have to say goodbye to the final two teams from the European division.@MADLions_CSEN & @FaZeClan unfortunately just came up short but the show must go on!
GGs boys!
#ESLOne pic.twitter.com/6cDjND1IPR
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) August 26, 2020
Many of the FaZe Clan fans are under the impression that their team are not taking their matches seriously and need to completely overhaul their roster. The criticism did not go down well with FaZe Clan’s captain, who addressed the internet trolls just hours after his team were eliminated from the competition.
“Enough with the hate on my team and Kjaerbye, we had 5 days of practice and we nearly won against nr 2. team [Team Vitality] in the world who has been bootcamping over 2 weeks,” said NiKo.
“Give us some time to work on our mistakes before judging, we are doing everything we can to improve asap.”
FaZe fans have been especially critical of the team’s makeup, with a particular focus on the absence of a specialist in-game leader. Nevertheless, it’s highly unlikely another roster change will happen anytime soon given they have already parted ways with two players in the past three months, most notably with Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer Gustafsson in May.
FaZe now have only a couple of days to prepare for ESL Pro League Season 12, which is slated to kick off on Tuesday, September 1. There, they will face Astralis, Complexity Gaming, Fnatic, mousesports, Ninjas in Pyjamas, Team Spirit and Team Vitality in Group B.
]]>