During one of the initial best-of-three matches at IEM Sydney on October 17, Nikola “NiKo” Kovač delivered an incredible trick shot in CS2 that completely turned the game against Complexity. Michael “Grim” Wince attempted to disrupt the attack by making a daring play through a smoke grenade, and eliminating NiKo would have halted the push before it even began, while teammate Jonathan “EliGE Jablonowski secured a kill in the background.
Regrettably for Complexity, Grim’s FAMAS let him down, allowing NiKo to seize the opportunity and execute perhaps the most remarkable no-scope shot of IEM Sydney thus far. NiKo had a slow start on the map Ancient, with just one kill to his name before that crucial round. However, he concluded with an impressive K/D ratio of 17-11 as G2 triumphed 2-0 in the series, winning the map 13-7.
What makes this play even more extraordinary is considering NiKo’s usual role. He seldom wields the AWP, as the primary sniper role is held by Russian talent Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov on G2. NiKo is widely regarded as one of the world’s best riflers and has been one of the top five players in the history of CS:GO, all while rarely using the AWP. This is a remarkable achievement given the AWP’s substantial impact on matches.
G2’s victory propels them into the upper bracket final in Group B, where they will face ENCE. Meanwhile, Complexity finds themselves in the lower bracket, set to compete against an overhauled Cloud9 roster. G2 has a chance to win the grand finals, having previously claimed victory in several events with their current lineup, such as IEM Cologne and IEM Katowice. However, NiKo has yet to secure a Major title, and he is often regarded as the best player to have never won a Major in CS:GO, despite finishing as the runner-up in a Major only twice, first at the PGL Stockholm Major in 2021 and then at the ELEAGUE Boston Major in 2018.