Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač is a Bosnian esports player training in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. He takes on the role of lurker and has the capabilities to be a sniper for his team Faze Clan.
Outside of gaming, Niko spends his free time working out at the gym, going out with his friends for drinks, go karting and skydiving. He makes the most of his vacations going to swim at the beach and also enjoys sightseeing.
Where it all began:
Nikola started playing Counter-Strike 1.6 when he was 9 years old, where he would play video games at his parent’s Internet Cafe. He would meet some of his friends and watch them play the game eventually he played with them CS. Participating in small competitions, Kovac always wanted to be the best player trying to beat his friends.
He dedicated more time to playing Counter-Strike to improve his skills with the aim to be the best in his hometown. Once he reached that goal, he joined a Serbian team with a new mission to be the best in the country.
Fulfilling his dream, he made his debut playing with Mousesports to be a part of the best team in the world. He made a name for himself with his incredible accurate aim and game plays in the ESEA league.
While playing for Mousesports, Niko felt a lot of pressure but it helped him improve his skills much faster which made Kovac into the pro player he has become today.
The Team:
Faze Clan is an American gaming company that was established in 2010, famous for their Call of Duty esports presence. It was originally founded by players called Faze Clipz, Faze Resistance and Faze Housecat. Their success in gaming has grown to support two more teams that play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Overwatch.
Faze Clan CS: GO roster was created in January 2016 with the former G2 Esports players. Their very first esports tournament they ever attended was at DreamHack Leipzig 2016. The Faze Clan CS roster consists of Karrigan as the in-game leader, rain, Niko, Guardian and Olofmeister that will hopefully achieve their goal to win more esports tournaments to eventually be the top CS team.
Competition Participation:
The most recent esports tournaments that Faze Clan have participated include DreamHack Masters Malmo, Faceit Pro League – Europe August, PGL Major Krakow, ESL One Cologne, IEM Sydney and IEM World Championship.
While competing for Mousesports, Niko attended the qualifiers and main events of DreamHack Masters Vegas, IEM World Championship as well as the premier match, the Eleague Major.
Niko’s gaming experience at different esports tournaments has given him the pleasure of competing against top teams like Gambit, SK gaming, Space So9ldiers, Astralis, Virtus.Pro, Heroic, Hellraisers and Immortals among many others.
Winnings:
The great win for Niko was at the recent ESL One New York, while competing on behalf of Faze Clan. At the premier match the CS: GO team took the title beating Team Liquid with an unbeatable record of 3-0, scooping up a reward of a staggering $125K. At the same tournament, Niko was awarded the MVP of ESL One New York 2017.
The second achievement was at the Starladder i-League StarSeries Season 3, Niko and Faze Clan won against top team, Astralis. The CS: GO unit proudly claimed their well-deserved prize of $125K, finishing first taking the StarLadder title. He was also named, MVP of the esports tournament, SL i-League Season 3 by HLTV.org.
The third great accomplishment for Kovač was at ECS Season 3 – Finals, representing Faze Clan. The squad finished in second place, losing to SK Gaming, taking home a reward of $120K.
