After months of doubt, stressful series, and painful defeats, Falcons finally received what they had been waiting for — a match in which it wasn’t the system carrying the players, but the players who lifted the system. And at the center of this transformation is Nikola “NiKo” Kovač, who for the first time in a long while is talking not about tactics, but about the feeling of the game. His interview became not just a comment after a victory, but a signal of deeper changes within the team.
Emotions vs Mechanics: Why NiKo’s Words Became a Turning Point
Usually, NiKo is about analytics, structure, and high standards. But this time his words were different: they were about the inner state of the team. He openly admitted that Falcons often shut down emotionally during losses — they lose their voice, their pace, and their confidence. In Chengdu, this became their downfall — they didn’t play badly on a micro level; they played lifelessly on an emotional one. Falcons did not lack mechanics, structure, or individual strength. They lacked only one thing — the living, aggressive, collective energy that transforms a good team into a championship-winning one.
read more
Falcons: A Team That Played Correctly but Didn’t Burn
For the past six months, Falcons looked like a team that maintained structure but didn’t feel the moment. They had the tactical foundation, they had young talent, zonic added discipline, and NiKo added stability. But despite all the components, Falcons often looked emotionally empty. That is why NiKo’s interview mattered: for the first time, he openly said the team had become too fixated on winning. They stopped enjoying the game, they feared every mistake, they reacted too sharply to every lost round — and this destroyed them from the inside. Now they are trying to shift the focus: instead of fear — freedom, instead of pressure — presence, instead of silence — energy.
Vitality as an Indicator: Why This Victory Matters More Than Statistics
Yes, Falcons had already beaten Vitality in 2025, but even NiKo admits: those wins didn’t carry weight. They didn’t feel meaningful. They weren’t earned by a team that believed in itself. This time, however, Falcons did something much greater than simply reaching the final. They showed that they can refuse to collapse after being down 6:11, that they can play with full commitment, that they can stay connected even when the match doesn’t follow the script. And the defining moment wasn’t m0NESY’s 1v3 clutch — that only highlighted the momentum that already existed within the team. The turning point happened when Falcons didn’t slump their shoulders and instead continued playing their Counter-Strike.
m0NESY and kyousuke: Two Factors Behind Falcons’ Mental Growth
The past months have changed a lot in Falcons’ internal structure. m0NESY is no longer “pure mechanics” — he has become an emotional generator, someone who can not only win a round but also pull the team back into the game. His energy, hype, and confidence are exactly what Falcons lacked before.
The second change is kyousuke. He does not have a loud voice or a dominant presence, but he stabilizes the game. He allows Falcons to play consciously, to avoid panicking after early losses, and to avoid collapsing into chaos when something goes wrong. This is what used to break Falcons: one death, and the team would immediately spiral out of their structure.
After Chengdu, the Team Understood the Most Important Thing: They Stopped Playing CS — They Started Fearing It
Chengdu was a painful but necessary lesson. There, they were tight, overly focused on the result, and had lost any joy in playing. NiKo admitted: the team wanted to win so badly that every small mistake felt like a tragedy, and every lost duel or failed round ruined the internal atmosphere. Today, Falcons are trying to do the opposite — to play with ease, to take energy from the crowd, to allow themselves emotions. And this is giving them a higher level of play than any additional tactical preparation.
The Final Against FURIA: The First Real Test of Falcons’ Maturity
Falcons enter the title match against FURIA in a Bo5 after three consecutive losses to the Brazilians. But for the first time, it doesn’t feel like psychological pressure. On the contrary — it feels like an opportunity to test themselves. The maps are relatively balanced: Falcons don’t play Ancient, FURIA remove Overpass. But the question is not the map pool. The real question is: which Falcons will step onto the stage — the silent ones after a 0–3 start, or the ones who maintain energy regardless of the score? NiKo says directly: if everyone plays their game, if Falcons keep their momentum — they are capable of stopping even FURIA, which currently looks like one of the most stable teams in the world.
The Main Change in Falcons: Victories Are Born Not From Tactics, But From Character
The most important thing NiKo said wasn’t about specific gameplay details. It was his understanding that a team cannot live on structure, reviews, and tactics alone. It needs character. It needs emotion. It needs a voice. Falcons forgot about this for a long time, trying to be “correct” instead of “alive.” But now they are trying to reclaim this power — and it makes them far more dangerous.
read more
What This Means for the Scene
Falcons finally look not like a project that is supposed to “click someday,” but like a team that has already begun to grow. They play bolder, more responsively, more purely. And if NiKo and m0NESY can maintain this level of emotional stability, and if zonic continues refining their structure — in 2026 Falcons may become one of the defining tier-1 Counter-Strike stories. They have regained not mechanics, not form — they have regained belief.
