In its deepest run since rebuilding its roster, G2 Esports has discovered itself within the quarter-finals of BLAST Open London.
Set to play a resurgent FaZe Clan in Wembley’s OVO Enviornment, we sat down with its new star Matus “MATYS” Simko to speak about his crew and the journey forward.
Reserving a spot within the enviornment
G2’s qualification for the playoffs got here from an sudden win in opposition to Group Spirit, a match that featured the Europeans decimating Spirit 13-1 on Historical in map three. A crew that G2 has had various shut clashes with in current weeks, MATYS was reserved in his evaluation of the consequence.
“It wasn’t the cleanest recreation, clearly. They’re a very good crew and so they managed to make some errors right here and there, and we did additionally,” he mentioned to Esports.internet.
A participant who clearly expects quite a bit from himself after impressing a lot on his earlier crew, Fnatic, he informed us he’s at the moment “nowhere close to” the degrees he can play at, however that he can really feel the expansion in G2 regardless of the squad’s brief time collectively. He mentioned: “We simply have extra expertise collectively, it helps making quicker options.”
Constructing from the underside
G2’s Counter-Strike 2 crew has all the time been house to among the recreation’s greatest stars. Kenny “kennyS” Shrub, Nikola “NiKo” Kovac, Ilya “m0NESY” Osopiv: each is a legend of the sport that has lifted trophies sporting the jersey of the samurai.
Nonetheless, within the wake of NiKo and m0NESY’s departures to Falcons, G2 discovered itself deep in a rebuilding course of, needing to maneuver away from the celebrities of outdated and trying to construct the celebrities of the long run.
“It exhibits quite a bit in regards to the scouting in G2 relating to malbsMd, HeavyGod, and myself,” MATYS informed Esports.internet. Three gamers who’ve all joined G2 and managed to impressed, they signify the wave of Tier 2 gamers which can be making waves in CS2 in 2025, forcing their approach into Tier 2, even pushing apart extra established names.
However with these gamers shining a lot within the decrease ranges of the esport, expectations for themselves are excessive after they make it to the higher echelons.
“I’m nonetheless constructing my consolation zone and making an attempt to succeed in my potential,” MATYS mentioned.
A harsh evaluation given his already stable rankings, he continued by saying: “I wouldn’t say I wrestle, however I’ve to repair quite a bit in my head after I are available in, the identical factor occurred with Fnatic. For just a few months, I find yourself in search of myself and for what my position will probably be in a crew. However, in comparison with totally different groups prior to now, this crew is already serving to me perceive easy methods to get higher quicker than I did earlier than.”
Picture Credit score: PGL Esports
The load of expectation
With lesser stars and after a troublesome first half of the 12 months, expectations are low for G2 in opposition to the titans of the scene: Vitality, Spirit, and MOUZ. Nobody is absolutely anticipating the crew to return to the heights of years passed by, a proven fact that MATYS is conscious of: “There isn’t a lot expectation on us, perhaps that comes all the way down to the shortage of massive stars.”
However that received’t cease G2 from striving for the highest because it does in each esport it competes in.
“The distinction is that we put quite a lot of expectations on ourselves throughout the crew. We all know how good we are able to play, like in opposition to Spirit, and the way effectively we play in observe. It’s not a foul factor, I believe we’ll be higher for it, and perhaps individuals will underestimate us,” MATYS mentioned.
With the crew now reaching increased than ever earlier than for the reason that arrivals of MATYS, Alvaor “SunPayus” Garcia and new coach Eetu “sAw” Saha, MATYS mentioned that development will probably be a “pure response.” However that development will include added strain, an element the Slovakian isn’t involved about: “Folks will count on extra from us by way of consistency, but it surely’s all all the way down to how the crew balances it.”
Now he simply has to look in the direction of the sport in opposition to FaZe, a crew that options his “beloved” frozen.
“For him, it received’t be that non-public, he’s performed in these sorts of matches so many instances,” MATYS mirrored. “However for me, I like him quite a bit and I seemed as much as him, so it’s simply motivated to push myself additional.”
