G2 recover from map one defeat to smash FaZe

A G2 risk to ban Inferno and leave Mirage in the pool paid off in a 13-6 decider.

The new G2 has continued its strong form by toppling FaZe 2-1 and securing a spot in Group C's final, putting them one series from Fall Final.

That was despite dropping Ancient 13-9, G2's pick and the map Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač and company had a six-map winning streak on. By the time we moved to Nuke, however, G2's individuals had warmed up and the result was utter domination.

It was a statement series for the under-pressure Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač, who ended top of the board with a 1.33 rating. He now has a 1.26 rating for the event, his best average since the Copenhagen RMR and far above his 1.04 CS2 average.

"Since CS2 I'm really playing a lot, that's not an issue," huNter- said post-match. "When you make some changes, you want to show them that you're the player that everyone remembers and be a good example to the other players. As long as we are winning I don't care about my own performance."

Mario "⁠malbsMd⁠" Samayoa was the key man on Nuke, despite having four negative ratings in a row on the map for G2 and M80 as the Ramp anchor and Lobby lurker beforehand. The Guetamalan took over proceedings after a quad-kill on the MP9 in a confidence-filled display as he continues to prove both his talent and his versatility.

He ended the half 17-3, and shone as the sides switched too with a sensational Deagle double-entry into Ramp — the second fully blind, and requiring an inch-perfect 90 degree snap.

Map three was Mirage, G2's permaban under Rasmus "⁠HooXi⁠" Nielsen, and eyebrows were raised on the desk after G2 chose Mirage over their usual pick of Inferno.

"We are practicing Mirage a lot and we are comfortable there," NiKo had said pre-game. "We haven't played it much as well, so it's good to have Mirage officials under our belt."

If it was intended as practice in a non-elimination match at a fairly low-stakes event, Mirage could not have gone better for G2 as they sat FaZe down by rushing to a 9-0 lead with eight rounds in a row that denied a bomb plant, and 13-6 win.

It does not mean, however, that G2 are turning away from Inferno, according to NiKo: "Inferno has been our best map, one of our best ever since I joined G2. Snax kind of has to get used to it, it's stupid not to play it when we're already really good at it."

FaZe now drop to the lower bracket against one of Cloud9 or Ninjas in Pyjamas as they look to combat their slide down the rankings.

Only David "⁠frozen⁠" Čerňanský put up any significant resistance on Nuke and Mirage, and after a poor Esports World Cup by their standards the FaZe team have a fight on their hands to return to the level required by their lofty standards.

A rematch against G2 is still possible, in a match that will decide which Group C team qualifies for Fall Final early.

Date	Matches
BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2024
02/08/2024	FaZe 17:05 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match
03/08/2024	G2 18:50 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match