Steven R. March 8, 2019
G2 Esports is looking to reestablish itself as a heavyweight in the European Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene.
Following a tumultuous 2018, the team took the next step in rebuilding its roster by benching longtime rifler Alexandre "bodyy" Pianaro. Replacing him will be François "AMANEK” Delaunay.
Bodyy is one of G2’s most enduring talents. Joining in 2016, he helped the French organization become one of the most powerful forces of its era, winning events like the Esports Championship Series Season 1, ESL Pro League Season 5, and DreamHack Masters Malmo.
The team dipped hard in late 2017 with a public dispute between Richard "shox" Papillon and Nathan "NBK-" Schmitt leading to constant roster tinkering in 2018. Though the latest iteration of the team showed some promise by qualifying for the 2019 Katowice Major, it squeaked through the Challengers Stage before sputtering out in the Legends Stage for a 12th-place finish.
Bodyy’s performance in Katowice was generally solid, coming up big for the team in series played against TyLoo and Vega Squadron. That said, he was inconsistent during the event, landing on the bottom of G2’s scoreboard on more than one occasion.
G2 did not give a specific reason for the break when announcing the news on its website, but said that the decision was made “in good spirits.” Bodyy echoed this sentiment on Twitter, thanking G2 for his time with the team and predicting success for the new lineup.
The team will be hoping from better results from AMANEK, who first popped up on fans' radars in 2017 when he rounded out a Misfits roster captained by Sean "seang@res" Gares. After that team’s disbandment he joined Team LDLC, which had reasonable success competing in lower tier European events before stalling late in 2018.
It remains to be seen whether AMANEK represents an upgrade for G2. Bodyy will have one last ride with the team. He is set to stick with the roster through the end of the WESG 2018 Global Finals, which begin March 11.