Opinion: CS2 should immortalize NiKo's desk smash in-game
G2's landmark win against Vitality in the BLAST Premier Fall Final semi-final won't be remembered just from Nikola "NiKo" Kovač's performance on the scoreboard, but from the anger and spilled blood that turned into a legendary moment.
On Mirage, NiKo nearly won an impossible 1v5 round, but the fifth kill against Dan "apEX" Madesclaire did not materialize, prompting the Bosnian star to slam the desk with his fist. The impact produced a fist-sized crater on the desk, and also forced a brief timeout as NiKo had drawn blood. With blood on his mouse, NiKo along with Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa still managed to drag G2 to overtime, where he would answer the call in another clutch attempt and find success against apEX.
The heroics fueled a G2 victory, and NiKo posed with the desk during his on-stage interview with James Banks. This was one of the best series of Counter-Strike 2 played this year, with a memorable moment to boot, so why not immortalize the moment with the first CS2 in-game tribute?
NiKo's desk smash feels like a moment that could be immortalized forever, and it doesn't even need a full graffiti tag. Something more subtle like a mirror copy of the dent he left in the desk, but placed on the bench or the bench wall on Mirage, perhaps with a single drop of blood detailing it, would be a clever homage to the moment of passion.
Only two permanent graffitis honoring legendary CS:GO moments migrated over to CS2: Marcelo "coldzera" David's jumping AWP play on Mirage, and Olof "olofmeister" Kajbjer Gustafsson's flame-surrounded defuse on Overpass. The last one added was in 2017, to commemorate Mikhail "Dosia" Stolyarov's high IQ grenade on Inferno, but that spray is no longer displayed.
Player and community sentiment that Valve isn't attentive enough to CS2 has been on the rise recently, and while a small in-game tribute certainly pales in comparison to the things players want from the developers, it would at least be a small sign that shows they care.
