Carlos on ambitions for G2: "I don't give a f**k about being top three, I want to win Majors"

The founding CEO of G2 joined the latest episode of 'HLTV Confirmed' to give unique insight on operating a Counter-Strike team.

G2 made some of the most explosive moves of the off-season, picking up one of the best coaches in the world, a highly-touted superstar AWPer in the making, and a new IGL. Despite a 2021 that many teams would call a success, it wasn't enough for the ambitions of G2 and their owner.

CEO of G2 Carlos "ocelote" Rodríguez Santiago appeared on Tuesday as a guest on the HLTV Confirmed podcast and discussed his thought process behind building rosters, his opinions on the specific moves that G2 have made and much more.

"I deployed that thought process, the two principles that I follow: Either I trust the support staff, and we build an actual team, or I don't trust the support staff, and I build it myself with names." Carlos said of his approach to building the CS rosters of G2's past, before going on to talk about the 2021 roster.

"The problems we thought we had to not be number one were AWPing and calling in general. Not only calling in-game, but the preparation in scrims to learn how to play the game and call in officials. I think those two things needed to change, and the team we have is the result of what we think are the solutions to those problems."

He emphasised his ambition when putting together rosters, specifically his desire to make other top players regret not joining G2 in true Carlos fashion: "I don't want to beg for s1mple to get bored in NAVI for me to buy him, I want to build my team and kick his ass. I want s1mple to blame himself for not having joined G2."

Carlos went on to speak about some of the moves G2 made for 2022, starting with Damien "⁠maLeK⁠" Marcel: "Everyone loves maLeK in G2, anybody that worked with him. Sometimes, even very capable and incredibly good coaches just don’t fit the system you want to follow…. it's much harder to change five players or four players than it is to change a coach."

Of course, that meant he also spoke about the incoming Rémy "⁠XTQZZZ⁠" Quoniam: "He is very good in the mental department, and very good in the technical department as well. Most importantly, he makes himself respected through his demeanour, he is actually someone that when he speaks, you listen."

Carlos was also glowing in his praise for new signing Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov: "I was watching a scrim against a top team and he dropped 41 frags. The first thing he does, he says to XTQZZZ that they need to walk through the demo together because he feels like there is so much that he can improve on… he has a perfect mindset man, I think this guy will succeed regardless, it's a matter of time."

Other topics touched on in the podcast include the Aleksi "⁠Aleksib⁠" Virolainen and Nemanja "⁠nexa⁠" Isaković swap, the potential for Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool to have joined G2, VALORANT as a game compared to Counter-Strike, and more.