Why NiKo Won the HLTV MVP at BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 Over nota

HLTV has explained its decision to award Nikola “NiKo” Kovač the MVP title at BLAST Bounty Winter 2026, despite PARIVISION’s dominant 3–0 victory over Falcons in the grand final and Emil “nota” Moskvitin’s outstanding individual performance.

The announcement sparked debate across the CS2 community, as nota finished the final with a significantly higher rating. HLTV later published a detailed breakdown of the methodology behind the MVP selection, focusing on LAN-only performance, map awards, and overall tournament impact.

HLTV MVP Criteria at BLAST Bounty Winter 2026

According to HLTV, only the LAN Finals in Malta were considered for MVP voting. This approach was used to eliminate inconsistencies caused by online matches and uneven opposition strength earlier in the tournament.

Key factors HLTV highlighted:

Consistency across the entire LAN stage

Impact in round wins, not just total kills

Number of map awards earned during the event

This methodology ultimately favored NiKo over nota.

NiKo’s Statistical Advantage Explained

NiKo finished the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 LAN Finals with:

1.20 overall rating (highest at the event)

Four map awards, the most of any player

Event-leading numbers in:

Kills per round won

Damage per round won

HLTV emphasized that NiKo delivered multiple peak performances across different series, including strong showings against Liquid, Vitality, and PARIVISION.

HLTV noted that NiKo “made a difference throughout the whole tournament,” rather than peaking in a single series.

This sustained level of impact was a decisive factor in the MVP vote.

nota’s Grand Final Performance Was MVP-Level — But Not Enough

There is no dispute that nota was the best player in the grand final:

1.50 rating

60–36 K-D

92 ADR

In comparison, NiKo finished the final with a 1.09 rating.

However, HLTV stated that nota’s earlier playoff matches — particularly the semifinal against FURIA and the quarterfinal versus Spirit — did not match the same level of dominance.

Another point raised was team structure:
PARIVISION’s victories were driven by more evenly distributed contributions, while Falcons relied more heavily on NiKo’s individual impact during their run to the final.

PARIVISION’s BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 Victory

PARIVISION claimed the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 title after:

Winning five series

Dropping only one map during the entire event

Securing their first major international trophy

Following the win, PARIVISION climbed to #4 in the global Valve Ranking System (VRS).

Head coach Dastan “dastan” Akbayev described the moment as a career milestone, emphasizing how difficult it is to win titles in modern Counter-Strike.

Jame’s Reaction: “Just Another Tournament”

Despite the significance of the victory, team captain Dzhami “Jame” Ali remained characteristically calm, downplaying the emotional impact of the win in post-match interviews.

His reaction reinforced PARIVISION’s image as a disciplined, system-driven roster rather than a team fueled by momentum alone.

Falcons’ Situation and NiKo’s Role

Falcons entered the BLAST Bounty Winter Finals with a stand-in roster, as kyousuke was unavailable due to visa and scheduling constraints. This context further amplified NiKo’s importance to the team’s deep playoff run.

Prior to the final, NiKo stated that Falcons’ strong performance was the result of productive practice and improved structure, rather than an unexpected surge.

Final Verdict: Why HLTV Chose NiKo as MVP

HLTV’s decision was based on:

Higher overall LAN rating

More map awards

Greater impact across multiple series

Consistency from quarterfinals to the grand final

While nota was the standout player in the final itself, HLTV concluded that NiKo delivered the strongest all-around tournament performance, which ultimately secured him the BLAST Bounty Winter 2026 MVP award.