After reaching one million followers on Chinese social media platforms, Falcons star rifler NiKo kept his promise and answered questions picked from the comments in a Q&A session. Let's take a look~
Q: How does it feel to compete with karrigan again? Has the FaZe magic happened again?
NiKo: It feels amazing to fight side by side with karrigan again. You know, we've already reached three finals, and I know this question was asked before we won the Major, this... this is truly unbelievable. You know, we accomplished something we missed eight years ago, the Boston Major, and now eight years later, we won the Cologne Major together. You know, if someone had told me at the beginning of this year that I would win my first Major with Big Cousin again, I definitely wouldn't have believed it.
So the storyline between me and karrigan is really crazy. Everything has been amazing so far, we are doing some really cool things, and the results look very promising at the moment. Now, as I said, I hope we can achieve even better results, because we are not just satisfied with winning the Major — of course, we are very happy to have achieved that, but we want to accomplish even bigger things.
Q: Will karrigan's arrival change the role distribution within the team? Fans really miss those amazing plays between you and m0NESY on Nuke.
NiKo: I think karrigan's arrival changed a lot about our overall way of playing. He has given players more freedom, players are more proactive on the map, we also have more room to make more tactical plays, while also being able to provide some mid-round calls for karrigan, and then karrigan will further refine on that basis and set the direction for the whole team.
So as I said before, this was a really great change. We already knew what bringing in karrigan would bring, which is why we chose to sign him, and the results have now proven that. Right now we are mainly getting to know each other better, working on polishing some details, while expanding our map pool to make our tactical system richer. I believe karrigan is a perfect fit for this team and these players.
Q: Can you get m0NESY to register a Douyin account?
NiKo: I've already tried. I've talked to m0NESY about getting him to register an account, about creating a Douyin account, but for some reason he didn't really want to do it at the time. I don't remember the exact reason, I remember asking him during IEM Chengdu when I had just opened my Douyin, but he said he didn't want to deal with that kind of stuff. But I'll ask him again and let everyone know what he thinks. But if he does open one, he'll also need some help, because registering an account is not an easy thing, so I'll talk to him and see if I can help him.
Q: Is your relationship with m0NESY more like father and son, or like brothers?
NiKo: I think when he first joined the team, it was more like — I was mostly trying to teach him things, because I was older at the time and he was very young. When he first joined, I remember he had just — I think he was only 16 when he joined, so he really was a very young kid. So I think at that stage, I was more teaching him and showing him things, like how to handle various situations in-game, as well as some things outside of the game.
But honestly, m0NESY doesn't need much help. He's a very mature person, both in and out of the game, and he's been amazing. But I feel like we're more like brothers now, because he's grown up, so he's definitely like my little brother. I really enjoy competing with him and spending time with him, and I'm so happy that we were able to lift the Major trophy together.
Q: How is training going? Are you confident you can end Vitality's era of dominance? What is this team missing to become the perfect roster?
NiKo: So far, our training has been going well. Can we stop Vitality's dominance? I believe so. Every adjustment we've made has, in a way, been to stop the current Vitality, because they've had an incredibly amazing year — or rather, a year and a half — of dominance, so they are very strong and very difficult to play against. But I believe we are now on the right track, we've already beaten them in Cologne and won the Major title. But now the key is the new season, we have to continue what we did in Cologne. So I believe we have a great lineup capable of stopping them.
Of course, they still have a slight advantage. They have been playing together for a year and a half, the team has a very mature system, and their performance is very consistent. For us, we need to expand our map pool, we need to pose more challenges to them. I think we have a lot of confidence right now, and we must use that confidence when facing them. But I believe we can stop them.
Q: You've used low sensitivity for many years, but switched to medium sensitivity this year. Why?
NiKo: Yes, you're right. I've been playing on low sensitivity for a very, very long time, almost my entire career. The reason I switched to a slightly higher sensitivity is because of CS2 — I feel the game is faster-paced compared to CS:GO, and you can't play it in exactly the same way. The way you clear angles is different as well, you need to keep moving, and your opponents are always moving too, so that's why I started increasing my sensitivity to see if it could improve my gameplay a little. I think I've now found a good balance, my sensitivity is around 1.6 or 1.7 (at 400 DPI), but if I'm on 800 DPI, I use 0.88, that's my recent sensitivity setting. But that's why I decided to increase my sensitivity.
Q: When will you transition to becoming an IGL? Will you become the world's No.1 IGL in 2028?
NiKo: I'm not really sure either. I've thought about transitioning to become an IGL, but I also want to continue being one of the best players in the world, even as I get older. I hope to maintain consistent form, because I feel that every player, as they get older, either chooses to retire or changes their role, shifting more toward a supportive playstyle. I believe age is not just a number; of course, my form may decline a little, but I think as long as you have the right training attitude and focus on your physical health, you can still maintain a very high level of play, even as you age.
So my goal right now is to maintain the competitive level I currently have, even as I get older. Of course, if my performance starts to decline — which is certainly possible — then I might reconsider this. But for now, I really want to keep pushing myself and continue to improve in the position I currently hold, and then we'll see how things develop.
Q: Has anyone ever told you that you look like Soldier Boy from The Boys?
NiKo: No, I haven't watched that drama, so I don't know what he looks like, and I've never heard anyone say I look like him.
Q: What is your relationship with Nike?
NiKo: If you mean the clothing brand Nike? Honestly, there's no relation. They have some really nice products, I mainly wear their stuff when working out, and sometimes wear their shoes, that's all.
Q: What's the special significance of that Blaze on your wall? Other players collect trophies, while you collect a Deagle.
NiKo: Sara (my fiancée) made that Blaze Deagle for my birthday, I think it was when I was 26, I don't remember exactly, it might have been 25. I think it was after Katowice 2022, yeah, 2022. Yeah, it was a really cool gift. She surprised me because I had just come back from a tournament and then found a Blaze Deagle hanging on the wall, so she really did an amazing job.
But the reason is quite simple: she knew I like the Desert Eagle. I've made many amazing plays with the Desert Eagle, and many people got to know me because of some highlight plays, so she thought I might like what she made. And I really do like it. I think it's very special, and I also think it looks really cool on the livestream.
Q: Do you watch snooker? Do you support Ding Junhui or Zhao Xintong?
NiKo: Yes, I do. I still watch snooker now, though I watched it more when I was younger. I love snooker, and I always watch it with my dad — we're both die-hard snooker fans. At the moment, I don't have one particular player I support, but there are definitely some players I've followed in the past, and I really like their style.
I think I really liked Neil Robertson back then, and I also really liked Ding Junhui. I don't think Zhao Xintong had even turned professional at that time? I used to watch snooker regularly about 10 years ago, so I think Zhao Xintong was probably still too young back then. So, yes, Ding Junhui is a very outstanding player, but unfortunately he has not yet won the World Championship. I even recently watched his last match against Zhao Xintong, it was a very exciting match, he really is a legendary player.
Q: I'm not even your fan, donk is my favorite player, but I sincerely hope you can win your Major before you retire.
NiKo: I did it, I won the Major. Thank you for always wanting me to do it, cheering for me, and hoping I could win a Major, even though you're not my fan. I really appreciate you, but, yeah, I've done it. It's been a very tough road, we've waited a long time for this day, but we finally did it. So, thank you, thanks again!