BLAST Production: Investigating G2’s Issues in Depth

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On November 22, 2023, G2 Esports officially announced the addition of nexa to replace Australian rifler Justin Savage | jks. This decision sparked intense criticism from the community. In the months that followed, doubts and critiques shadowed G2’s pursuit of championships.

It’s not to say that G2’s performances were lackluster; they achieved notable results across various events, but their consistent form didn’t attract the attention it deserved, and their accolades were unfairly tarnished due to their failure to secure tournament victories.

The source of these criticisms might stem from the stellar displays of Ilya Osipov | m0NESY, leaving a lingering feeling that G2 still had a gap to bridge against top teams like FaZe, Vitality, and Spirit.

So, what issues are currently plaguing this team that once dominated IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne in 2023?

Is Rasmus Nielsen | HooXi the Culprit?

Let’s start with the focal point of much debate, HooXi.

Since joining G2 in 2022, no in-game leader (IGL) has perhaps divided the community as much as HooXi has in CS:GO history.

His accomplishments within the team are often overshadowed by his losses and what the community perceives as subpar performances. But is this fair? Let’s weigh his successes against his failures.

Undoubtedly, G2’s Major performances under HooXi have been disappointing.

In their first Major appearance after HooXi’s signing (the 2022 IEM Rio Major), G2 fell to GamerLegion and failed to qualify from the Regional Major Ranking (RMR) stage.

In the 2023 BLAST.tv Paris Major, they lost to Vitality, Bad News Eagles, and fnatic, finishing with a 1-3 record in the Legends Stage.

At the most recent PGL Copenhagen Major, G2 made it to the semifinals, a significant improvement over their previous outings.

Despite this undeniable success, HooXi was still blamed by many for the team’s shortcomings, a sentiment that coach Wiktor Wojtas | TaZ addressed after their loss to Natus Vincere in the semis.

“Map pick against NaVi was my decision, not HooXi’s fault, so I should take the consequences.

I had a lot of confidence in our Ancient, but our approach to that game was completely different from how we could perform. We lost some crucial rounds that led to our defeat.

Would Inferno have been a better choice? Maybe now. As a coach, I should’ve done better making such difficult decisions.

Apologies to all fans, but please don’t attack HooXi personally on social media. He played great throughout the playoffs and the semis.

We’re improving with every match, and we’ll keep growing.”

For a team like G2, the first two Major results were undoubtedly poor, but blaming HooXi entirely is unjust.

If G2’s two star players, Nikola Kovač | NiKo and m0NESY, underperformed, victory was unattainable, as seen in their elimination match against fnatic.

What Constitutes Success?

The narrative around NiKo’s career without a Major or top-tier title win persists, but that changed with HooXi’s arrival. It wasn’t long before they won the 2022 BLAST Premier World Final and claimed victories at IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne last year.

Accomplishments that Finn Andersen | karrigan and NiKo couldn’t achieve together, yet why hasn’t HooXi received more credit?

Criticism of HooXi’s fragging abilities is another point raised, but it’s an outdated argument. Aleksi Virolainen | Aleksib, the 2024 PGL Copenhagen Major-winning IGL, had a rating of just 0.91, while FaZe’s karrigan, the strongest team so far this year, had a 0.90 rating. Compared to HooXi’s 0.92 rating, one wonders why only G2’s IGL is subject to such scrutiny.

So, is the issue really with HooXi? We think not.

nexa vs. jks

Another significant factor discussed is the individual performance difference between nexa and jks.

In the past, jks was undeniably a star player, instrumental in Renegades/100 Thieves’ rise. During his time at G2, he provided steady and reliable firepower.

Statistically, the gap between the two players isn’t substantial, especially considering the positional advantages jks sometimes enjoyed. However, there’s a key distinction: trust.

G2 might trust nexa’s capabilities as a team member, but it’s unclear if they trust him as much as they did jks.

Since nexa’s return, the team’s map pool has shifted significantly. They’ve abandoned NiKo and m0NESY’s strong map, Mirage, a move that undoubtedly weakened their competitive edge.

Why this change? As analyst Alex Ellenberg | Mauisnake highlighted, jks played a vital role as the primary A-site defender on Mirage, one of the most challenging roles in CS:GO.

While jks didn’t produce superstar numbers, he still held his own against the world’s best, something that nexa, who’s never been a standout player, might struggle to replicate.

That said, bringing back nexa raises questions.

If G2 trusts nexa as they did jks and resumes playing to their strengths, this problem could be resolved.

Change is Difficult

The final and most pressing issue is the altered dynamic of G2’s Bosnian duo since the CS update.

NiKo, one of the greatest riflers in CS:GO history, saw his rating drop from 1.22 to 1.09 in the initial months of the new version, and it has since rebounded to 1.16.

To be clear, a 1.16 rating is by no means mediocre – it’s quite good. However, G2 must contend with NiKo’s increased invisibility and frequency during matches, exacerbated by his cousin Nemanja Kovač | huNter-‘s inconsistent form.

NiKo’s decline is