G2 Esports fans may not be quite as excited for the Rio Major now that their favorite squad has dropped the ball.
After a shock upset from GamerLegion, G2 Esports will not attend the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Rio Major. The decisive match was originally expected to be an easy win for G2 but the German side came back from a 3-16 loss on map one to win it all.
G2 Esports entered the European RMR as clear favorites. The international squad brought momentum from a podium finish at ESL Pro League 16, and the addition of the game’s biggest gigachad couldn’t seem to hurt. G2 even started its RMR run with a 16-0 shutout over Ecstatic, further cementing it as a favorite.
Map one, Vertigo, went exactly as fans expected with G2 only dropping 3 rounds on T side and cleaning up after a victorious pistol round. However, G2 was in for a complete shock in the rest of the series.
Map two was GamerLegion’s pick, Mirage. While usually a bog-standard map in competitive CSGO, something about GamerLegion’s T side completely flummoxed G2 captain Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen. Even with winning pistol and two crucial buy rounds, G2 failed to get more than four rounds before the switch.
From there, the match perfectly mirrored map one with a won pistol leading to game over. GamerLegion had evened the score against a top-five ranked team.
Map three was the only real contest of the match. The first half of Inferno ended 7:8 in GamerLegion’s slight favor. The second half was equally rocky with won eco and blundered rifle buys from both sides. Eventually at 15:12, GamerLegion planted the final bomb of G2’s RMR run. Clever play from Ivan “iM” Mihai and a legged AWP shot sealed the deal.
Missing out on a CSGO Major is terrible for any player, but for G2 Esports, it’s a particularly harrowing result. This will be the first major without G2 since ESL One: Cologne in 2015, ending a seven-year streak of perfect attendance. The sponsor has repeatedly stated its intention to build a world-class team capable of winning major championships.
While the current G2 Esports CSGO roster is the most stable its been in years, there could be some snap-decision roster changes in the near future.
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