kennyS moves to G2 Esports bench, Jackz rejoins active roster

G2 Esports' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division is set to undergo a major shift as Kenny "kennyS" Schrub has been moved to the bench. 

The legendary AWPer will switch places with Audric "JaCkz" Jug, who has been on G2 Esports' bench for three months. JaCkz was dropped from the active roster when G2 picked up FaZe Clan rifler Nikola "NiKo" Kovač in the biggest signing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive history. It seems that JaCkz's services are required once again, while kennyS may be on his way out the door. 

CS:GO Roster Update pic.twitter.com/P0hgB1chRR

— G2 Esports (@G2esports) March 4, 2021

The news comes as a surprise for CSGO fans, as kennyS has been the face of G2 Esports' Counter-Strike division, but the team's recent performances across major tournaments call for a change. The team fell early in BLAST Premier Spring series, losing against Complexity Gaming and then Evil Geniuses. Both teams entered the competition as underdogs but had little difficulty against G2 Esports. G2 followed that with a similarly subpar showing at IEM Katowice 2021, getting eliminated from the group stage with losses to Team Spirit and Gambit Esports. 

With the addition of NiKo, G2 Esports added a ton of firepower that left kennyS in an awkward place. The 25-year-old has been struggling on the server, averaging only a 0.98 rating across the last four tournaments. The addition of NiKo may have simply left kennyS without a clear place on the roster. 

"Although bittersweet, we are confident these changes will bring back some great CS by G2 to the servers," Damien "maLeK" Marcel,  G2 Esports' coach, said in a statement. 

kennyS' exit is the end of an era for G2 Esports

The legendary AWPer has been the principal part of G2 Esports since the core roster put together in early 2017. kennyS was a part of a French super-team alongside Richard "⁠shox⁠" Papillon and Alexandre "⁠bodyy⁠" Pianaro, Nathan "⁠NBK-⁠" Schmitt, and Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire, who helped G2 Esports' profile in CSGO explode over the last few years. Even before G2 Esports, kennyS was celebrated for his incredible, agile, and unique plays that transformed the AWP meta in the game. 

The organization has announced that JaCkz will re-enter the squad, which will lead to several role switches in the team. NiKo will find himself taking kennyS' AWP and JaCkz will transform into primary fragger. G2 currently has a roster jammed with skilled riflers, which should afford the team the chance to experiment. It'll be refreshing to see NiKo in servers playing a more passive game, carrying an AWP. 

"NiKo repositioning as a hybrid-AWPer gives us a more a more open-minded approach while also providing more flexibility within our game and the current meta," maLeK said. 

It's too early to say what's next for kennyS, but the AWPer likely has something lined up already. In a tweet, kennyS announced that his new signing would be officialized in a day or two.