Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač said G2 are still working through how much of their Counter-Strike 2 system should revolve around Artem “r1nkle” Moroz, after the Ukrainian AWPer’s quieter-than-expected start in the lineup. Speaking to HLTV at ESL Pro League Season 24, huNter- said G2 cannot remake everything for one player, but they are trying to fold r1nkle’s ideas into the team while keeping parts of the setup that already worked with Álvaro “SunPayus” García.
The comments came as G2 tried to steady themselves after a rough opening to the event. huNter- said the team had arrived from a final in China and a run of two or three events in a row, then took a few days off to reset. Even after that break, he said, G2 “were not ourselves” and “were playing bad overall.”
G2’s latest win did at least give them something to build on. huNter- said it felt good, even if the opposition was not the strongest, and added that winning any match in a tournament helps when a team has started below its usual level. He wants that result to lead to more confidence, because G2’s target at every event is to make playoffs.
G2’s early stumble and the need for confidence
huNter- was blunt about the team’s opening games. He said G2 need to be better than they were in the first three matches if they want to reach the bracket stage, and he tied the poor start to a crowded schedule rather than a single problem. The team had just come off their China event, then played more tournaments before finally getting some time to recover.
That break, though, did not fix everything. huNter- said the team were “destroyed after China,” but also made clear that fatigue could not excuse the results. In his view, the bigger issue was that G2 were not playing like themselves. Even in the recent win, he said, the performance was not perfect, but the result could still help if it brought “extra confidence” ahead of the main goal: qualifying for playoffs at every event.
He also linked that goal to the level G2 need against the best teams. The team cannot keep playing the way they did early in the event, he said, especially not against NAVI, if they want to beat what he called the “big dogs.”
G2’s slow start is also reflected in the broader event context. The team opened ESL Pro League Season 24 with a 2-0 loss to NAVI, and the current interview came after that setback as they tried to recover their footing. The win that followed was not a statement performance, but it was a step toward stabilising the group.
How G2 are fitting r1nkle into the lineup
G2 signed r1nkle to add more aggression and unpredictability, but the early statistical output has not yet matched that idea. So far in G2, r1nkle has survived 43% of rounds and posted 0.57 KPR, numbers that suggest he is still finding his place in the structure.
huNter- has not lost faith in him. He described r1nkle as mechanically strong and said he has a bright future. The challenge, in huNter-’s view, is to get the AWPer’s confidence back without asking him to force the issue every round. G2, he explained, are trying to add r1nkle’s preferences into the team without discarding what already existed.
“We cannot change everything to make r1nkle comfortable fully.”
He said the team are trying to “implement his things” and listen to him, while still keeping some of the older structure in place. That means building rounds that suit him on both sides, but not throwing away the habits that worked before. huNter- said r1nkle is “a good listener,” and that G2 are trying to help him as much as possible.
In huNter-’s view, the best version of r1nkle will appear when the team around him is playing well. If G2 are functioning as a unit, he said, the AWPer will show his best CS as well. The focus, then, is less on forcing standout individual numbers and more on creating the right conditions for him to contribute.
Supportive T-side roles and the patience G2 want
huNter- also addressed r1nkle’s use on T side, where the role has often been more supportive than aggressive. He singled out Ancient and Inferno as difficult maps for AWPers, saying they cannot always make many early-round plays because opponents expect them to push for action. On other maps, G2 are trying to bring in more of r1nkle’s preferred ideas.
Even on Ancient and Inferno, huNter- said G2 are building in set rounds so r1nkle can do more than just hold utility or support others. The wider expectation is patience. He described a pattern where the AWPer may spend the first minute of the round doing little visible work before the game opens into 4v4 or 3v3 situations where he can have a bigger impact.
He pointed to m0NESY and ZywOo as examples of how elite AWPers can wait for those moments and still take over rounds later. Asked about what r1nkle needs to learn, huNter- said patience is central.
“He needs to be patient.”
He added that r1nkle understands the idea and that G2 are trying to help him put it into practice. The goal is not to demand flashy openings every round, but to get him into the mid-round spots where his aim and decision-making can matter most.
MATYS changes and the push toward Spodek
The interview also covered position changes for MATYS. huNter- said he is happy to make adjustments if they help the team, adding that he does not mind where he plays if the change looks right for the future. He said the coach is usually the one asking for those moves, and he is willing to go along with them if they improve the team’s chances.
He was equally positive about MATYS as a player. huNter- said the player’s aim, movement and shooting are all “amazing,” and said G2 are trying to help him regain the confidence he had in the first months after joining, when he could “destroy everyone.” The aim is to get back to that level of consistency.
The setting for all of this is Katowice, where G2 are trying to reach the Spodek arena. huNter- said the event does not fully feel like Katowice until the team are actually inside the competition environment, but it is still the place they want to play. He expects a full arena and wants G2 to be there.
He said the team have to show more if they want to reach that goal. G2 have not been sharp enough in the opening matches, but the latest win at least gives them a foothold as they keep working to settle r1nkle into the lineup and stay on track for a playoff place.
is r1nkle the problem?
43% survive is rough