NiKo Wins BLAST Bounty Season 1 MVP Despite Falcons’ Loss in the Grand Final

Nikola “NiKo” Kovač has been crowned HLTV x 1xBet MVP of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1, securing the award after a dominant individual performance at the LAN Finals in Malta — even though Falcons were swept 3–0 by PARIVISION in the grand final.

The MVP title marks NiKo’s 10th career HLTV MVP, placing him among the most decorated players in Counter-Strike history and further cementing his longevity at the tier-one level.

NiKo claims 10th career MVP at BLAST Bounty Season 1

HLTV confirmed that only the LAN portion of BLAST Bounty Season 1 was considered for MVP calculations, excluding online-stage statistics to ensure competitive consistency.

Across the LAN Finals, NiKo posted:

1.20 overall rating (best of the event)

1.09 kills per round won

111.8 damage per round won

These numbers ranked NiKo first among all semi-finalists and finalists, giving him a statistical edge over other MVP contenders.

Match-by-match impact that decided the MVP race

NiKo delivered high-impact performances throughout Falcons’ entire playoff run:

vs Liquid – 1.67 rating

vs Vitality – standout Mirage performance with a 2.18 rating

vs PARIVISION (final) – 1.40 series rating despite the 0–3 loss

HLTV noted that PARIVISION’s Emil “nota” Moskvitin was NiKo’s closest rival for the MVP award, but NiKo’s consistency across every LAN series proved decisive.

Falcons’ unexpected run to the grand final

Falcons reached the final under unusual conditions, playing with a stand-in and limited preparation time. Despite that, they eliminated Vitality, the world’s top-ranked team, in a 2–1 semi-final victory.

Before the final, NiKo addressed Falcons’ form in an HLTV interview:

“We did some good things in practice… I’m not too surprised that we are doing well at this event.”

Falcons’ run highlighted strong individual form and preparation, even if the final result fell short.

PARIVISION dominate Falcons to win BLAST Bounty Season 1

The grand final told a different story. PARIVISION swept Falcons 3–0 in a best-of-five, finishing the tournament having dropped just one map across five series.

The victory marked:

PARIVISION’s first major international title

A rapid rise following the addition of Ivan “zweih” Gogin

A jump to fourth place in the global Valve Ranking System (VRS)

Jame and dastan react after title win

Team captain Dzhami “Jame” Ali remained characteristically reserved after lifting the trophy:

“This one is like a regular CCT event.”

Coach dastan emphasized discipline as the foundation of PARIVISION’s success:

“I try to be very strict because every bad situation will cost us in the future.”

Their comments underlined a system-driven approach that paid off throughout the event.

What NiKo’s MVP means historically

With this award, NiKo:

Reaches 10 career HLTV MVP medals

Ties s1mple and ZywOo for the most calendar years with MVPs (seven)

Becomes one of the few players to win MVPs across multiple eras of Counter-Strike

Despite Falcons missing out on the trophy, NiKo’s performance at BLAST Bounty Season 1 reinforced his status as one of the most consistent superstars in CS history.