When NiKo left G2 for Falcons, there was a unanimous feeling in the scene that in terms of his competitive career, he had made a huge mistake. His wallet would surely benefit, but joining a Falcons organization that had never won a trophy in Counter-Strike felt like a resignation that his days as a champion were behind him.
Fast forward just a few months, and how wrong we all were. Having beaten G2 3:0 in the Final of PGL Bucharest 2025, Falcons are champions for the first time ever. You can make the argument that Falcons are ruining Tier 1 Counter-Strike with their seemingly infinite budget, but you can’t argue with the results.
NiKo comes back to haunt his former team
For NiKo, this was an opportunity to remind G2 of what they had lost. The GOAT rifler put up a stellar showing in the PGL Bucharest Final, and to get one over his former team in such dominant fashion will have tasted extra sweet, even if it came at the expense of beating his cousin, huNter-. NiKo was able to show his former organization that sometimes, the grass is greener on the other side. Given the ongoing rumors about the team, I don’t doubt that there will be even more trophies to come.
In years past, NiKo has won bigger and more prestigious trophies than PGL Bucharest 2025. He’s one of the game’s most decorated players, so a trophy like this likely means more to players like degster and kyxsan. However, the chance to silence those who believed NiKo was only moving to Falcons for the money while giving up the last of his competitive ambition (like myself!) will likely taste sweeter than anything he’s ever felt before.
m0NESY G2 stint ends on bittersweet note
If just about every reliable source in the scene right now is to be believed, we have officially seen the last of m0NESY in a G2 jersey, his time on the team ending in a humbling defeat against the very team he’s rumored to be joining. It’s harsh on degster, who on the other side was a key piece in this PGL Bucharest 2025 victory, but when a player like m0NESY becomes available, you don’t turn it down.
He will have looked at NiKo, his old friend and teammate, lifting the PGL trophy in Bucharest. While he’ll undoubtedly be filled with plenty of disappointment on this occasion, it will also have been a moment tinged with excitement. The next time he takes to the server, it’ll almost certainly be in a Falcons jersey, reuniting for NiKo once more in pursuit of glory. We’ve officially seen that Falcons are a team capable of winning a trophy in their current iteration – imagine what they’ll be like with m0NESY there, too!
Being joined by m0NESY will only reinforce NiKo’s decision as the right one, too. What more can they achieve together as a duo? The coming months and years will help us find out.
