“We believe that he can be the difference-maker for us” – NiKo on playing with karrigan in the Lanxess

Insider Gaming spoke to legendary Falcons rifler, Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač, before Team Falcons’ IEM Cologne 2026 Major quarter-final against Team Vitality.

The veteran star reflected on Falcons’ victory over NAVI, the team’s growing understanding under Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen, and his own new responsibilities in the roster.

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Insider Gaming interview with Niko at the IEM Cologne 2026 Major

You’re in the quarter-finals. You have some good memories in the Lanxess, but some bad memories as well. How are you feeling going into the playoffs?

Feeling very good, really happy with the way we won versus NAVI. Super excited to be back in Lanxess again. It’s a special place for CS and the community as well.

Now, this time around, it’s also the Major, so it’s going to be even more special to play in the arena. Just looking forward to the game.

So you mentioned there, you were pleased with how you beat NAVI. What aspects of that win were meaningful to you?

I would say that we had a very strong mental state against them. We were down on Anubis in the second half, 11-6 or 11-7. We managed to come back, you could even argue that we could have won without overtime, but we are still really happy with the way we approached overtime, and we managed to close it out.

Everyone had his own moments. You know, TeSeS has been on fire versus NAVI. It was really nice to see him playing the way he did.

He just showed up on the day, and it seemed that with the opponents getting better, we also stepped up our game a little bit as well, so that was very important to see.

And yeah, beating Na’Vi in such a close fashion was a good confidence boost for the playoffs.

It feels like the T-sides are becoming more online. How are you feeling in the server? Is there more connective tissue now between the players on the T-side?

Yeah, I mean, Finn is a very special IGL and one of the most experienced players out there with a really good track record as well. I think what he brings the most to the T-side is versatility, I would say.

We are very, very versatile on the T-side. The rounds can be very open or can also be very structured. So we have, I think, a pretty good balance of when we need to play together as a team and when some players need to do something individually as well.

I think he’s obviously still learning about the players on the team because he has just joined one month ago, basically. But so far, it has been very good working with him. He brings a lot of new ideas, just a different style, a different identity to the team as well.

It’s been nice working with him so far.

Last time you played with karrigan, he didn’t have that reputation of having an arena buff. Now that the roster is feeling more cohesive, do you think that experience is going to be valuable when it comes to those big arena moments?

Definitely. That’s definitely one of the reasons why we decided to bring such an experience. The player has already won a lot of stuff. We believe that he can be the thing that can take us to the next level.

You know, Finn is always a special player when it comes to the stage matches. He’s a showman, and he brings something special out of the players and also the crowd.

So, this is going to be the first time that we share like a really big stage together, you know, even though we have played in Astana and Shanghai. But this time around, the Lanxess is very special.

It’s going to be nice to be on the stage with him, and we believe that he can be the difference-maker for us when it comes to these games.

“There are games where I feel really good, and then there are some games where I can’t do much for some reason.”

NiKo on adapting to lurking roles

We know you’ve been calling CT-sides for a while. In terms of the T-side, would you give that kind of secondary voice in the mid-round?

Yeah. As you mentioned, I’ve been already calling the CT-side, even though the CT side is kind of a shared responsibility. Everyone has to contribute to the team.

For the T side, I would say that I have more space now with Finn because his way of calling is a bit more open, so I think he needs players to give more ideas and more directions.

I believe that this is where I can kind of chime in and help him a lot. So in that sense, my role is a bit different now that my voice is a bit more activated in the rounds.

While with Damjan [kyxsan], I was a bit more quiet because he had a different way of calling, which was also fine. And yeah. When it comes to calling, that’s pretty much it.

Then I’m just, I’m a bit more focused on lurking as well because Finn doesn’t like to finish rounds with five people on the one site. So I’m lurking a bit more as well than I used to, and that’s pretty much it.

How are you finding those lurking positions?

I mean, I think it’s been up and down. There are games or events where I feel really good, and then there are some games where I can’t do much for some reason. So I’m still finding myself, I would say.

I think that I have improved my game a little bit since Finn joined. I think I’m a bit more stable, but it has been a difficult transition in these roles, but I’m trying to improve.

I want to be a stable player for the team. I want to, I try to focus on getting better in clutches as well, because this is something that we need on the team. So far, at least this event has been working pretty good and hopefully I can keep it up.

End of interview

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Darragh is an Esports Journalist for Insider Gaming specialising in Counter-Strike. He loves to explore how esports teams work, or why they very often do not.