NiKo jokes about repeating FaZe’s Budapest run after double-OT

Falcons secured a playoff place at the IEM Cologne Major after a double-overtime win on Anubis against Natus Vincere in the deciding map of Stage 3. Captain Nikola “NiKo” Kovač and teammate Finn exchanged light banter referencing FaZe’s run to the Budapest final.

The map stretched into two overtimes. NiKo described being mentally drained, shouting during the match and forcing himself to calm down to focus on decisive rounds. “I was just trying to stay calm because I was getting too crazy with the shouting and I just wanted to focus,” he recalled. He added, “It can’t go easy with us. We have to make it entertaining.”

Falcons picked Anubis despite limited exposure in official play. NiKo said the map worked in practice but the team hesitated to use it in an officiated match. “Just happy that our Anubis paid off in the end, honestly,” he added after the victory.

NiKo reviewed Falcons’ Stage 3 run and highlighted a loss to BetBoom and an early match against G2 that revealed consistency issues. He pointed to a pattern where the team sometimes drops a level against lower-ranked opponents and does not run the same plays it uses versus stronger teams.

Many Stage 3 maps ended 13-11 or went to overtime, which NiKo described as physically and mentally exhausting. “The majority of the maps were very, very tight. It was exhausting, but I really believe this will help us for the playoffs,” he noted.

Falcons advance to the Major playoffs carrying the win and immediate plans to regroup and prepare for the knockout rounds.