NiKo’s Grand Final complex with G2
The G2 star hasn’t been able to show his usually top level in his previous Grand Finals – Yesterday ended up being no different.
800 days and counting…
That’s the number of days since G2’s last trophy in CS:GO. The 2-0 Grand Final win over Spirit at Champions Cup Finals back in December 2019 also seems to be a life-time ago for the proud organization. At that time the roster was starred by the legendary AWPer Kenny “kennyS” Schrub.
Brining in the superstar rifler Nikola “NiKo” Kovac from FaZe in the dubbed “biggest CS:GO signing in history”, G2 hoped that their title drought would reach a halt and they would be able to reach new heights together. However, the trophy cabinet hasn’t expanded yet.
For NiKo personally, it has been 505 days now since his last CS:GO title.
It’s not because NiKo and G2 haven’t had their chances. Since joining the team, the Bosnian rifler has been in three Grand Finals – two against NAVI and one against his former team, FaZe. All of them ended up with a blowout loss.
Looking at his tournament stats and numbers from before the Grand Final and from the actual title-deciding match, it also shows that NiKo weren't able to step up for G2 when they needed him the most. His already-iconic deagle miss on Nuke at the PGL Stockholm Major could be seen as a tragic symbol for exactly that.
Stats from NiKo and G2’s last three events, where they reached the Grand Final:
IEM Katowice 2022
Before Grand Final:
1.33 Rating / 93.9 ADR
Grand Final:
1.03 Rating / 81.6 ADR | 0-3 vs FaZe
PGL Major Stockholm
Before Grand Final:
1.42 Rating / 98.2 ADR
Grand Final:
1.13 Rating / 88.3 ADR | 0-2 vs NAVI
IEM Cologne 2021
Before Grand Final:
1.18 Rating / 82.2 ADR
Grand Final:
1.15 Rating / 86.1 ADR | 0-3 vs NAVI
Still one of the very best
With all the above-mentioned being said, NiKo is still one of the best CS:GO planets in history, and arguably the best individual player right now. His striking 1.33 Rating / 94.8 ADR stat-line over the last six months has really offered some hope for G2, which only got intensified with the signing of the Russian prodigy Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov. G2 going to the Grand Final in their first real big event with their lineup is without a doubt a stellar achievement, regardless of the Grand Final result.
