NiKo Explains Why Falcons Replaced kyxsan With karrigan

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kyxsan left Falcons in April 2026. With karrigan calling, the team went on to win the IEM Cologne Major 2026, and NiKo used the same appearance to say he has not ruled out becoming an IGL himself.

Why Falcons Replaced kyxsan as IGL

NiKo traced the problem to how the whole team handled pressure, which he said it dealt with “in a very bad way”. As captain, kyxsan “didn’t have the right approach with all of the players”, and NiKo was specific about where it broke down: “He had been brushing off the feedback he was getting, rather than trying to account for it.”

What the players wanted was a playstyle where everyone felt more comfortable, leaning on defaults with fewer set tactics. That middle ground never arrived, and the disagreement carried into film review:

We could watch a demo and analyze it together. We’d point at something that we thought cost us the game, but he’d have a different opinion. It was very hard to find a middle ground.

NiKo called that one of the reasons Falcons moved on, bringing in karrigan as a caller he described as very different from his predecessor. When a team cannot agree on why it lost a map, it cannot agree on what to fix, and the caller is the one person who can close that gap or leave it open.

NiKo Defends kyxsan’s Record Against Vitality

The criticism came with a clear defence. NiKo said kyxsan is “a good IGL” with a great understanding of the game, and “individually, he’s one of the best IGLs that are currently playing”.

He also put the results in context. Falcons were competing through a stretch when Vitality were very hard to beat, and NiKo said the team came close several times. “If we managed to beat them once or twice, maybe he’d still be here,” he said, pointing to Melbourne as the result that could have changed everything, including whether kyousuke would be on the roster now.

That is a notable admission. By NiKo’s own account, the feedback problem became decisive only because Falcons never got the wins over Vitality that would have bought kyxsan more time.

Read More: Falcons Win IEM Cologne Major 2026, Full Grand Final Recap

Lars Robl and the Road to the Cologne Major

The IGL change was not the only adjustment before Cologne. NiKo revealed he began working personally with performance coach Lars Robl after Falcons lost to Legacy in the CAC grand final, and he credits that cooperation with helping him win the Major.

So NiKo’s own account of the Cologne title rests on two changes: a new caller for the team, and a new approach to his own preparation after a grand final defeat.

Is NiKo Becoming an IGL?

NiKo is not ready to commit either way. He said he believes he has strong qualities for the role, pointing to his game knowledge and his communication with teammates, but he also thinks IGLs are often underestimated. He named apEX and karrigan as examples of strong leadership that other captains lack, and he wants to learn more by watching how karrigan runs Falcons before deciding.

The mental cost weighs on him too. “If I become an IGL and if it starts bad for half a year, a year… I think it would’ve been very difficult for me, mentally, to come back,” he said. He has never felt fully ready for the role, and never confident that his current four teammates were the right fit for it.

His individual ambitions pull the other way. NiKo said it is hard to watch players decline once they turn 30, retire early, or move into support roles, and that many lose motivation after reaching a certain point. He wants to keep performing at a high level regardless of age, whether as the team’s top star or further down the lineup.

That leaves a choice between committing fully to calling or finishing his career as a star player. “I’m not sure yet, but I think that time is coming,” he said.