NiKo on his new role in Falcons: “There isn’t room for three stars on every map”

NiKo on his new role in Falcons: “There isn’t room for three stars on every map”

Nikola “NiKo” Kovač says he’s consciously stepped back from his trademark hyper-aggressive style in Falcons, explaining that the structure of the team and the emergence of Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov and Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin as primary playmakers naturally pushed him toward a more passive, space-giving role. 

The comments came after Falcons’ dramatic overtime win against Spirit on Ancient at IEM Chengdu 2025, a result that locked in a playoff spot for the Saudi-backed superteam and eliminated local favorites TYLOO from contention. 

“I’m not going for the plays I used to”

Falcons opened the Spirit series with a dominant performance on Dust2, where m0NESY produced a standout showing on the AWP. Ancient, however, turned into a grind: Falcons trailed 3–9 on their T side before storming back on defense to win in overtime. 

NiKo said the team’s confidence on Ancient never wavered, even when they were getting battered early on: he described their CT side on the map as one of the best in the world and stressed that they were prepared to “fight back” rather than be “stomped” there. 

When asked about his personal impact — especially in matchups that used to be defined by his star power, like his duels with Spirit’s prodigy Danil “donk” Kryshkovets — NiKo admitted his role has changed significantly:

He said he now plays “more passive” and doesn’t go for the same high-risk, high-impact plays he became known for in G2 and FaZe.

On several maps, particularly Ancient, he explained that the system is built to prioritize kyousuke and m0NESY in terms of space and initiative, with NiKo often anchoring or playing more stable positions. 

Despite the lower spotlight, NiKo emphasized that he’s satisfied with his contribution when he reads the game well, locks down his bombsite, and executes the protocols they’ve agreed on. For him, handling his site cleanly and enabling his star teammates is now just as important as topping the scoreboard. 

Zonic’s “best CT side in the world” and Falcons’ playoff run

The comeback against Spirit also showcased the influence of Danny “zonic” Sørensen, who told the team during a break that they could rely on “the best CT side in the world” on Ancient — a line that’s rapidly becoming part of Falcons’ identity. 

Falcons chained together an eight-round streak on the defense to flip the scoreline, and although they briefly struggled to close the map, they pulled through in overtime to secure a 2–0 series and advance to the playoffs in Chengdu. 

The result continues an encouraging run for the lineup, who recently made the final of ESL Pro League Season 22, losing 0–3 to Vitality in the BO5 grand final. 

“We’re meant to win trophies… but we have to give ourselves time”

NiKo stressed that Falcons’ ceiling is championship-level but warned against rushing expectations:

With players of their caliber, he said the team is “meant to win trophies”, but they don’t want to judge themselves solely on immediate titles.

He pointed out that squads like Vitality and MOUZ currently have a deeper map pool and more big-stage experience together, which makes crucial playoff series especially demanding for Falcons. 

The Bosnian rifler framed events like IEM Chengdu, ESL Pro League, and other upcoming LANs primarily as data-gathering opportunities — chances to understand where the team still struggles in high-pressure situations so they can arrive at the next Major with both confidence and a clearer game plan. 

Building a superteam: how Falcons assembled three (and more) stars

NiKo’s comments about “three stars” make more sense when you look at how this roster came together.

NiKo’s move and the rebuilding of Falcons

Falcons spent much of late 2024 and early 2025 reshaping their CS2 project, finally landing NiKo after courting him for a long time. His transfer — alongside signings from HEROIC and the retention of key pieces like Magisk initially — was widely framed as one of the biggest roster moves of 2025. 

The current lineup, as listed on HLTV, features:

NiKo

Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov

René “TeSeS” Madsen

Damjan “kyxsan” Stoilkovski

Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin
with zonic as head coach. 

Falcons currently sit around the top three in the world rankings, underlining just how quickly the new roster has climbed despite relatively little shared history compared to their rivals. 

m0NESY reunion and growing pains

Falcons’ star AWPer m0NESY officially joined from G2 in April 2025, reuniting with NiKo after their time together in the international superteam. 

In a recent HLTV interview, m0NESY admitted that “something was off” both when he joined Falcons and at times during his G2 tenure. He pointed to roster instability and the time it takes to find his voice within a new structure as key reasons for his inconsistent form earlier in the year, but he also said he feels he’s now rediscovering his peak level. 

TeSeS has echoed that sentiment, saying that m0NESY’s ceiling is still rising and predicting that he will reach “a new, higher ceiling” once he fully stabilizes in this lineup. 

Those perspectives put NiKo’s more passive role in context: when your AWPer is set up as a franchise star and your entry rifle is a hyper-aggressive prodigy, someone has to absorb more supportive positions — and NiKo appears willing to be that player, at least on specific maps.

Kyousuke: the prodigy NiKo “sees himself in”

The third star in NiKo’s “three stars” remark is the 17-year-old rifler Maxim “kyousuke” Lukin, who joined Falcons from Spirit in mid-2025. Falcons first benched Emil “Magisk” Reif and then moved to bring Lukin over, a transfer that was widely described as landing one of the hottest young prospects in CS2. 

NiKo has spoken glowingly about kyousuke in earlier interviews:

In April, he said the youngster “reminds [him] a bit of [himself]”, highlighting the way kyousuke shoots and his love of flashy, high-impact plays. 

Elsewhere, through social media comments quoted by regional outlets, NiKo suggested that m0NESY was one of the main reasons kyousuke wanted to join Falcons, noting the comfort the two share being close in age and career trajectory and hinting that they could become one of the most dangerous duos on the scene if everything clicks.

Kyousuke himself has sounded unfazed by the step up: after his first tier-one game at IEM Cologne 2025, he told HLTV that he doesn’t care how big the tournament is — he “just plays,” focusing on doing his job rather than the stage around him. 

Role changes, bad days, and NiKo’s evolving mentality

This isn’t the first time NiKo has talked about form dips and role adaptation since joining Falcons.

After a tough loss to The MongolZ at IEM Cologne, NiKo admitted he underperformed despite feeling well-prepared for the event, calling it “maybe just an off day” and discussing role tweaks for kyousuke and the overall structure they were still trying to refine. 

At the Esports World Cup 2025, he produced a vintage performance versus his former team G2, topping the scoreboard and showing that even within a more passive general role, he can still take over games when the conditions are right. 

More recently at ESL Pro League, after a narrow quarter-final win over 3DMAX, he said he was “a bit frustrated” with how Falcons played overall but still “happy that [they] won,” underlining that results and experience matter more than style points during this phase of the project. 

All of that reinforces the picture of a player who’s willing to adjust around his teammates — a contrast to earlier chapters of his career where rosters were often built explicitly around him as the primary star.

The “three stars” puzzle in a CS2 meta

NiKo’s remark that it’s “hard to have space for three stars” isn’t just about ego management; it’s also about the tactical reality of CS2:

Modern CT and T setups are heavily role-based, with specific spots, timings, and utility responsibilities.

AWPers like m0NESY need freedom and resources to be effective.

Aggressive riflers like kyousuke thrive when given room to spearhead attacks or fight for key areas early.

Trying to simultaneously maximize three high-usage players can lead to overlaps, confusion, or over-committing to duels. That’s why, especially on maps like Ancient, NiKo has willingly taken on roles that give his younger teammates the initiative while he focuses on consistency, communication, and site stability. 

Chinese crowd, memes, and NiKo’s mindset

Away from the server, NiKo also commented on the atmosphere at IEM Chengdu. He said Falcons enjoy huge support in China and that he feels genuinely happy playing in front of the local crowd, who cheer for the team throughout their matches. 

He also addressed the viral “shrimp” memes that have followed him around Chinese social media. While he isn’t thrilled about being seen that way, he takes it in stride, treating it as something he can’t control and choosing instead to concentrate on enjoying the game and performing on stage. 

Big picture

Pulled together, the interviews and results paint a clear picture:

Falcons have quickly become a genuine title contender, led by a stacked core of NiKo, m0NESY, and kyousuke under zonic’s guidance. 

NiKo, once the uncontested focal point of every team he joined, is now deliberately sacrificing some spotlight to give his younger star teammates the space they need.

The roster is still ironing out their late-game issues and adapting their map pool, but they’re collecting vital experience at every event, with their eyes firmly set on upcoming Majors and big-ticket LANs.

NiKo’s line about there being no room for three stars on the server at once might sound strange at first, but in context it reflects a veteran willing to trade individual glory for a shot at the one thing that’s eluded him for years: a Major trophy.