Why is NiKo's move to G2 considered as a marquee signing?
Yuriy SheremetFormer FaZe Clan superstar Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač has recently agreed to a deal that moves him to a new team in G2 Esports. There are a lot of people who are hyped for this move and some have even dubbed it as ‘the biggest signing in CSGO history’. While we cannot confirm that just yet, it is still one of the most monumental roster transfers of the past few years.
Before he transitioned into a full-time in-game leader, NiKo was actually the main fragger of FaZe. In his time with mousesports, he was often dubbed as a one-man team because he would have games with 30 or even 40 frags. Because of this, he decided to move to FaZe where he would team up with his fellow superstars.
He was once considered to be the best player in the world because of his ability to single-handedly carry his team to victory. He was dangerous with any weapon but his trademark Desert Eagle became synonymous with his name. He was regularly fragging opponents with a Deagle alone which is extremely hard to do.
FaZe’s missed opportunity
2018 was supposed to be the culmination of the FaZe superteam. They had NiKo as their best player but the supporting cast was amazing. Ladislav ‘GuardiaN’ Kovåcs, Olof ‘olofmeister’ Gustafsson, Håvard ‘rain’ Nygaard and Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen were all world-class players but they were unable to secure the major title for FaZe.
They were heavily favoured in the ELEAGUE Major 2018 in Boston but they fell in the grand final. Underdogs Cloud9 went on to win the entire thing changing the course of history. FaZe was supposed to win but the grit and determination that the Americans showed proved to be the deciding factor.
There were a lot of changes in the FaZe lineup after that Major. You saw GuardiaN return to Natus Vincere and karrigan relinquishing his IGL role to move to mouz. This left NiKo to serve as the IGL and this is where his form dropped off.
How G2 will change NiKo
He was still an excellent player but he was not the superstar that people once saw. He was a controlled player now who relied on his game sense and tactics to win the game. There were still some glimpses of solid individual play but he cannot sustain it while playing as the IGL.
He is now with G2 where he can return to his individual stardom. He does not have to be the IGL that people got accustomed to. G2 can also provide him with teammates that have solid experience. If you see the latest live odds for CSGO, you can clearly see that G2 is now one of the strongest teams in the world.
There is also the fact that his brother Nemanja ‘huNter-’ Kovač is also on the team which gives him someone who will immediately be comfortable playing with him. The most prominent teammate in the G2 team is definitely Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub. The AWPer is known to be one of the best snipers in the game’s history.
This is considered one of the biggest moves in CSGO history because of the quality of the players that are now in the lineup. They are immediate contenders for the best team in the world.
Yuriy Sheremet – Expert in mobile gaming and esports among shooters and MOBA games.
At EGamersWorld, Yuriy, as in 2020 when he joined the portal, works with content, albeit with adjustments to his area of responsibility.