G2 are proving the rolecels were right all along

Whether or not we are in a firepower era, G2 are proving that finding the right fit for every role is a sure-fire path to success.

When G2 lost Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač and Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov, it seemed they may very well have thrown away their best chance at competing for the most prestigious trophies in CS. The conventional wisdom amongst the community was that these two players are of a calibre that is almost impossible to replace, superstars that you simply must move heaven and earth to ensure remain on your team.

Much of that wisdom was perhaps rooted in the prevailing feeling that CS is in the midst of a 'firepower era'. The phrase has been bandied about by the community plenty in recent times and many people, including some of the game's more respected minds, have mused that perhaps now is the time that you simply need to pack your roster with as many head-clickers as possible.

To some degree, that makes sense. The top teams in the world, by and large, have robust teams of backroom staff — coaches, analysts and psychologists — and have a plethora of tools at their disposal to mould a collection of superstars into a winning team. Who cares what roles or positions people will play when we can simply print out swathes of A4 sheets telling them everything they need to do?

G2 strengthened the argument for the rolecels at BLAST Open London. The team's impressive trophy-winning campaign vindicated the organization's decision to not break the bank to hold onto NiKo, and to strengthen their coffers by cashing in on m0NESY, because it was a carefully constructed roster of perfectly scouted players that won the day. G2's success came thanks to intelligent roster building that focused on bringing in talented players, yes, but also on putting together a squad with the right mix of roles that are comfortable and natural fits.

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It might seem simplistic to reduce a Counter-Strike team to a simple list of components, but there is a general structure that we are all familiar with which is the blueprint that top teams largely adhere to.

You need anchors for your CT side, soldiers willing to take up unglamorous defensive roles and hold firm on their bombsite using nous and creativity to buy time and scramble for a kill or perhaps two. You need rotators, those who either know how to read the game well, have the aim required to handle the amount of action that they will inevitably be involved in, or both.

The T side is a little more nebulous, but you still need players who are willing to fulfil certain archetypes. You need openers, those willing to push forward and make action happen, and you need closers, those happy to wait for the late round for their time to shine. You need pack players, those happy to group up and either trade or be traded, and you need players happy to work the extremities on their own.

Of course, players can switch between roles across their career or even from map to map and perhaps even be successful filling more than one niche. But ultimately, for the majority of players, there will be a set of roles that fit them best, the roles that not only utilize their skillset to the maximum but also play to their tendencies and suit their personality

Struggle to deal with long periods of inactivity? You are probably not going to thrive as a small site anchor. Find yourself flustered when trying to read mid-rounds and put yourself in the right position? Rotator roles are unlikely to be your friend. In their current constellation, G2 have found the perfect fit for every role.

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Stat Check: G2 swap superstars for sensible signings

G2 already had the perfect opener in Mario "⁠malbsMd⁠" Samayoa, a self-professed lover of holding the W key and sporting the mechanics required to play high-activity CT positions. Nikita "⁠HeavyGod⁠" Martynenko is the ideal overqualified anchor, showing patience, poise, and the ability to multi-frag with little or no help, qualities that also make for a perfect lurker and closer. Matúš "⁠MATYS⁠" Šimko's flexibility is exactly what G2 needed when overhauling their squad so significantly.

We have often seen superteams struggle to find traction. Falcons are in the midst of trying to cram in as much superstar talent as they can muster, having pinched NiKo and m0NESY from G2, and are jamming square pegs into round holes in order to fit everyone in. René "⁠TeSeS⁠" Madsen must have whiplash with the amount he's been asked to swap back and forth between roles, whilst even NiKo, perhaps the greatest rifler CS has ever seen, is giving up some space to accommodate Maxim "⁠kyousuke⁠" Lukin.

Falcons are finding that juggling so many stars is no easy task. G2, in winning BLAST Open London, have now secured more trophies than Falcons have managed since adding m0NESY. G2 have found themselves better off for letting their stars go in favour of more modest names that fit like a glove, and history has shown how well this can work.

Astralis' era was arguably founded on having a perfect unit, rather than absolute stars in every position. Sure, each member earned a spot on HLTV's Top 20 across the team's period of dominance, but that was because the machine was more than the sum of its parts; each piece was elevated by being part of the whole. Since G2's revamp, all five players have posted strong performances in different matches; in their wins during their BLAST Open London run, every single player topped the scoreboard in at least one series.

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huNter- interview: Why this was the "right time" to become an IGL, new G2 era and teammates

There is one final aspect that requires consideration and admiration when thinking on the value of well-defined and carefully filled roles, and the blueprint for G2's success: the contribution of coach Eetu "⁠sAw⁠" Saha. Already a highly-touted name following his time working miracles with a tight budget in ENCE and HEROIC, the Finn is further cementin himself as one of the game's premier coaches with his work thus far in G2.

Yes, you can construct a roster with pieces that fit the general blueprint of CS, pull together your anchors and rotators, lurkers and pack players, but that will only go so far. What turns a balanced roster with good pieces into a great team is a coach who can install the perfect playbook, and that is something sAw has apparently done with G2. malbsMd told HLTV of the newfound depth to G2's playbook and of his belief in the structure, which goes so far that he is happy to die for the cause.

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malbsMd on G2's new structure: "It feels like if I die I have a purpose for dying"

Superteams and superstars are flashy, glamorous, and sexy. They're the kinds of teams and players that really get the blood pumping when you watch them play, and when all the pieces fall perfectly into place, they're a sight to behold. But maybe, instead of filling up your team with the best players, it's better to fill your team with the right players. The rolecels were right all along.