NiKo has broken his silence on the in-game leader change at Falcons. He explained what pushed the organization to swap kyxsan for karrigan. The comments came during an appearance on the TV Arena Esport podcast. There, he gave a detailed account of the friction that built up inside the team before the change.
Falcons is one of the most closely watched rosters in CS2. NiKo remains one of its most recognizable faces. So when a team like this changes its shot-caller, fans want real answers. NiKo’s comments finally provide one. He also revealed something unexpected: he has considered taking on the IGL role himself. Still, he hasn’t made up his mind.
Background on the Falcons IGL Switch
Falcons recently replaced kyxsan as their in-game leader, bringing in veteran captain karrigan instead. The change followed a period in which the team struggled to align under pressure. NiKo, one of the squad’s most experienced players, was closely involved in those internal discussions, and his podcast appearance now offers insight into why the organization made the switch.
NiKo on What Went Wrong Under kyxsan
According to NiKo, the team lacked the right approach under kyxsan as captain. He said kyxsan often brushed off player feedback instead of using it.
Falcons could have built a playstyle that made every player feel more comfortable, NiKo explained. He said fewer set tactics on default rounds could have eased that pressure.
Disagreements also surfaced during film review. NiKo described sessions where the team rewatched a match and argued over why they lost. “It was very difficult to find that middle ground together,” he said.
Those unresolved differences, NiKo believes, were a major reason Falcons brought in karrigan. The new captain, he added, is “very different from Damjan.”
NiKo Still Undecided on Becoming an IGL
In the same appearance, NiKo revealed that he has not ruled out becoming an in-game leader himself, though he is not ready to commit either. He said he believes he has strong qualities for the role, pointing to his game knowledge and communication with teammates.
However, he noted that IGLs are often underestimated, naming apEX and karrigan as examples of what strong in-game leadership looks like, while other captains lack those same qualities. For now, NiKo wants to gain more experience by watching how others approach the role, including karrigan’s current methods at Falcons, before making a decision of his own.
He also explained the mental risk involved. “If I become an IGL and if it starts bad for half a year, a year… I think it would’ve been very difficult for me, mentally, to come back,” he said. Because of that, he added, he has never felt fully ready to take on the role, and he has never been confident his current four teammates were the right fit for it either.
NiKo also pointed to his own individual ambitions. He said it is difficult to watch players decline once they turn 30, retire early, or shift into support roles, and that many players lose motivation after reaching a certain point in their careers. He wants to be the player who keeps performing at a high level regardless of age, whether as the team’s top star or lower in the lineup, while still posting strong individual numbers.
Eventually, NiKo said, he will need to choose a direction: commit fully to being an in-game leader, or stay a “star” player and finish his career that way. “I’m not sure yet, but I think that time is coming,” he said. “I’ll have to make a decision sooner or later, so we’ll see.”
What This Means for Falcons
According to the TV Arena Esport podcast, NiKo’s comments give fans the clearest explanation yet for why Falcons parted ways with kyxsan in favor of karrigan. The interview also opens up a new storyline for the team: whether NiKo could eventually take over as in-game leader himself. For now, that decision remains ahead of him, and Falcons continue moving forward with karrigan calling the shots.
