nexa: "I have no doubt that [Stewie2K] will find his place"

nexa believes that the dynamic of being on stage could benefit G2 in their rematch against Vitality.

G2 have continued their fairy-tale run in IEM Dallas with the use of American rifler Jake "⁠Stewie2K⁠" Yip in place of captain Rasmus "⁠HooXi⁠" Nielsen, notching a 2-0 victory over Latin American side 9z in the semi-finals of the event.

The international side now face a daunting matchup versus Vitality, having struggled against Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire's troops in a previous meeting during the group stage.

Shortly after their hotly-contested semi-final victory, G2's Nemanja "⁠nexa⁠" Isaković spoke with HLTV regarding the series, his own individual form throughout the event, what it has been like to work with Stewie2K, and his thoughts on the team's grand final matchup versus Vitality

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First of all, congratulations on that win over 9z. It was a 2-0 but it was pretty close at times. Tell me a little bit about that game.

I think there was a lot of chaos in that game, from both sides. I think at the end of the day we just had better individuals show up, got some really key rounds. I remember NiKo's round on 11-11 or something on Inferno Banana, and then huNter- having some good rounds on Dust2. Everyone kinda chipping in, having some good entries from Stewie.

I think we just played a better game individually, at the end of the day. It was chaos all around, I know CT Inferno wasn't clean at all. I'm just happy we managed to close it out, and I think this is, in a sense, it felt like the toughest game we played this tournament so far.

Tell me a bit about 9z and how they approached the game.

I think they played really good in the group stage, there's a reason they went straight into the semis. I think they kinda had a pretty straightforward plan. We knew how they were going to play, basically, we did good prep, I think we were on point with it. But again, it's a stage game, semi-finals, the pressure's there for everyone. I think they're also individually pretty sharp, but I'm just happy we managed to close out both maps.

You talked a little bit about individual performance and I was wondering about your own performances. This event for you has been a steep departure from your normal form. Why do you think you've been having lower output this event?

I think this is probably the worst tournament I've played since I joined G2. I can't really pinpoint it to one thing, I think it's just I haven't really felt like myself throughout this whole tournament. But I'm doing what I can to contribute in different ways, whether it's with staying positive or helping out, or helping out NiKo or m0NESY, or whoever needs it, Jake as well. Basically just trying to do whatever I can outside of killing people to contribute to the team. I am aware that I'm not playing good Counter-Strike right now, but it can all change in a day.

You mentioned helping NiKo; I talked to him at the very beginning of the event and he said it's a big ask to have him call, especially with a stand-in. How has his calling developed over the course of the event?

I think it's really good the way that he is approaching. I think he's pretty straightforward. There are no complicated things or anything. Since we don't have a lot of maps, it's difficult to anti-strat us, so he can pretty much come up with whatever idea he wants in his head and we just let it flow. It's been working pretty good for us so far, we have this stand-in buff. I think he's doing a really great job so far.

Speaking of stand-in buff, can you tell me a bit about what it's like working with Stewie2K? What is he contributing to the team?

I think he's very vocal. He's contributing a lot in a sense in mid-rounds, giving ideas, or seeing if we're under a bit too much pressure or if our comms are getting chaotic. He has a lot of experience with that aspect of the game, so he is really good at trying to calm us down, and just basically say a few words to keep us composed. Also he's very fearless; if we're going somewhere he'll run knife out, no fear, and he'll get the job done.

One more question on Stewie2K. He's talked a bit about the idea of returning to professional play, and now having worked with him for a good bit of this event I'm curious if you think he'd be able to find his footing if he were to return.

For sure he would. I have no doubt that he'll find his place in whatever team he decides to go to if he decides to do it. I think he can contribute both as a secondary caller and even as an IGL himself. I think he has a really good mind for the game, and he's very open and very vocal, so I think those are some good qualities to have if you want to be an in-game leader.

Ahead of your final I also want to ask, knowing that you were coming to this event with a stand-in, did you really have any expectation that you were going to be in the grand final?

We didn't really expect to be in the grand finals, but anything can happen, with the MR12 system, and coming in with a stand-in. I think just having all the individuals show up, in NiKo and m0NESY specifically, just playing some of the best Counter-Strike they've played in quite a while basically pushed us to this grand final.

I think our expectations at the start were to just somehow scrape through, make it to the playoffs, experience the crowd, especially for Jake in front of the North American crowd. But you know, we were taking it game by game, and miracles kept happening. We have this aura somewhere around us just pushing us forward. Things seem to be going our way.

You guys did have one hiccup in the group stage, a tough loss to Vitality. Playing them again in the final, how do you expect this matchup to go differently?

I'm not sure how it's going to go different, but it's a grand final and it's very different than a group stage game. You know what I say, it's tough to beat the same opponent twice in the same tournament.

You guys have had a pretty up-and-down season. How would a win here change your perspective on how this season went?

I mean, any win is obviously great, it would just be weird because HooXi is not here. Of course, winning anything would feel really great, no matter who is playing.