NiKo appeared on a podcast where the host brought up topics about winning a Major and some k3-related discussion, which is a total bombshell! Let’s see what NiKo had to say.
Q: Okay, since we’ve already touched on things like IGLing and such—I don’t mean to put you on the spot. In your earlier response, you mentioned that there are several factors, several things that make up an IGL, not just calling tactics, reading the opponents, and so on, but also things outside the server. Again, I’m not trying to get you to spill any tea, but I’ll say, maybe that was one of the factors kyxsan was lacking, and why he was replaced? For a young IGL like him to lead players like m0NESY, NiKo… it might not even be a particularly enviable position. As you said, there’s huge fame, huge expectations, and a club that aims to win every tournament. Perhaps at that time, having him as IGL wasn’t realistic. Now, I don’t know if you see it that way too, or… what the reason was? Of course, the results weren’t bad, but there weren’t many championships either.
NiKo: Yes, the results weren't bad. I mean, I'm sorry about how things ended. K3 is a great in-game leader, he has a very good understanding of the game, and individually, he's one of the best IGLs out there. He has many strengths. Of course, I also told him I think there are many areas he needs to improve, but... just looking at the results, we were in a period where Vitality was very, very strong. It was extremely difficult to beat them, and we came close several times. If we had managed to win against them once or twice, maybe he would still be here, if we had beaten them in Melbourne.
Q：That was that Nuke match, right?
NiKo: Yes. If we had won that Nuke against them... who knows what would've happened. Maybe Maxime (Kyousuke) wouldn't be here right now. Maybe the team would still resemble the Damian (kyxsan) era. Many things could have gone differently. For K3, overall, I think as a team, we started handling pressure in a very poor way. And he, as the in-game leader/captain, didn't have the right attitude towards all the players. He kept ignoring the feedback he received instead of trying to consider all of it. We should have tried to develop a better playstyle that made everyone feel more comfortable. Made us all more at ease in default situations, maybe used fewer tactics... Sometimes we'd watch matches together and analyze them. We'd say we felt we lost this match for a specific reason, and he'd have a different perspective, making it hard to find a middle ground together. I think that's one of the reasons Falcon decided to replace him. Bringing in karrigan, who is very different from K3. And, we were missing... one of the reasons karrigan came in as a stand-in: we needed a sacrificial player. Someone who would run around more, create space for Kyousuke... We had a lot of firepower but couldn't utilize it, like getting all five of us to play well at the same time. We needed someone willing to rush in, willing to sacrifice themselves. When he needed to push through smoke, he would. We found that in karrigan, so that's why we chose him.
So, many things... it's not just about K3, but purely because of his qualities as a player and as an in-game leader. It's just that we found karrigan to be a better fit for us as a team.
Q: Since we've already delved deep into the topic of in-game leading, let's chat a bit more. karrigan is coming, and you two are reuniting after six years, right?
NiKo: No, it's more like eight years.
Q: Eight years. It's been eight years now. I don't think it's necessary to go into detail about what happened back then or the various speculations, but what I'm interested in is, after eight years, how different is karrigan as a leader? Whether in terms of the game itself or as a person off the server, how much has he changed? And how much do you think you yourself have changed and adapted? In short, are you different people now? In what ways?
NiKo: Yes, I think we both changed a lot. Even back then, we complemented each other very well, but we were immature. Especially me, of course—I was much less mature. I was a lot younger when I was on that team. I used to have this problem where I didn't really know how to communicate in a good way. Sometimes I was too honest, and I might have been too direct with criticism. That could affect his confidence at times. For example, I realized this and worked a lot on it, and I think I've largely fixed that issue. As for karrigan, I think... let's put it this way: the problems we had at FaZe back then were more because we didn't have a good coach—someone who could speak up and have authority. Robban was more of a mental coach; he wasn't really involved in the game itself. We always lacked that side—someone who could see from the outside what was happening in the game and how we could adjust our playstyle a bit. And... I mean, the decision was made at that moment, in 2018, and... I think it worked out really well for karrigan (referring to him being benched/kicked), maybe even better for him than for me. He went to MOUZ after that, had success there, and then returned to FaZe, where he of course won a Major, the Grand
Q: Quick-fire Q&A: who, in your opinion, is the greatest conductor of all time and why?
NiKo: Greatest of All Time?
Yes... I mean, we could talk about those you've worked with... because I guess he would say... well, but perhaps he has a different perspective, so I'll keep that door open. But the important thing is... what sets him apart?
NiKo: I said after the Major, maybe even in your interview, or maybe... I'm not sure where, but... I think if you put any other in-game leader in his position at that Major, we wouldn't have won. I... I wasn't completely confident (about winning the Major), you know?
I mean, no one has that kind of ability to adapt to a team so quickly and find a way to extract 100% from every player. He's exceptionally good at giving all players space, ensuring everyone has a voice, allowing anyone to speak up about what they want to do at any time, and then he builds the entire round and executes that script. I think that's his best quality. One of his best qualities, at least. His second-best quality is his communication with players during the game. Overall, it's the experience he's accumulated over the years—I think his wife has also helped a lot. And the way he talks to players before matches, especially before important games... I don't know if you've seen Major's vlog? But he really instills a lot of trust in the players before big matches, building their confidence. Those are his best qualities. And he knows how to... at half-time, during the... yes, exactly, during the pre-match huddles (the "team huddle"), yeah, he's really good at that.
Q：No, no, I didn't mean that, like... it was Major's halftime break, who were you playing against... on Dust, I remember Dust, because, there was that... cinematic shot, and then he started imitating, what's it called... Bruce Buffer. When he says, in the red corner, I don't know what...
NiKo: Wait, was that at the Major?
Q：I think... yes, it was at the Major. It was at the Major, I seem to recall, the third... you played against Gizmi, but Gizmi was with Monte at the time.
NiKo: Yes, yes, you're right. — Back then, and now... when that happened, when you're just a regular viewer, it did seem a bit, I'd even use this word—I can hardly believe it, but, cringy.
Do you believe it will eventually be helpful?
NiKo：Yes, I forgot to mention it, but that was another important thing we emphasized when considering karrigan. We needed a motivator, not someone who acts like a clown, but someone who makes us laugh during our matches. To help us relax a bit, cracking jokes from time to time, and even shouting at the opponents. We always play very seriously and want to win, but someone needs to ease that tension.
Q: You could have just called me, I have everything you mentioned! You know, next time, I'll cover everything you mentioned!
NiKo: I believe this is something very important that you should have. And it worked.
Q: Put a period at the end. You won the Major. Take everything into consideration and piece together the fragments afterward.
NiKo: A very special person, yes.
Q: You've said in several interviews that regarding karrigan, the biggest mistake was that you shouldn't have parted ways. Just like you're saying now... Robban was there at the time, and if I remember correctly, karrigan said he didn't need a coach. He felt Robban being part of the team was fine and that he could handle it himself. Now, zonic is there, and they two briefly worked together at TSM before, right?
NiKo: No, not at TSM, I think they were at Astralis. They were definitely at Astralis.
Q：Yes, stayed for a very short period of time. How does it work now?
NiKo: I think if you ask karrigan who the best coach he's worked with is, he'll say zonic. Based on what I've seen so far, the way they operate and the dynamic they have, I think... I mean, I know for myself, zonic is definitely the best coach I've worked with.
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But regarding the matter you mentioned, he didn't want us to have a coach who yelled more back then. I think that was more about the game itself, but we needed someone who was perhaps more of a performance-oriented coach. To have us all sit around the table and say what's bothering us. What you're dissatisfied with him about, what you mind about him, what he... let each of us say a sentence or two... because there's always been a lot of tension in the team. Someone is always passive-aggressively doing something, and I think that's what FaZe was missing during that period. I think karrigan learned all those lessons himself, and... I think he feels better on his own now. When he senses a moment where a talk is needed, he'll come over and say, guys, let's talk about this, see what's wrong here. What we need to fix, tell me what you expect from me. Or he'll say, you can't behave like that, you have to do this, this, this.