G2 Esports Climb to #1 Rank in CS:GO

Despite being one of the older organizations in CS:GO, this is only the second time when G2 Esports have climbed to the top. They were a top 3 and top 5 team many times before, and they’ve almost always been a top 10 or top 15 team. But to claim the number 1 spot in the game is a rare event for them.

This is one of the most deserved #1 ranks we’ve seen in recent years. G2 demonstrated not once, but two consecutive times that they can play against the world’s best teams and consistently beat them.

Usually, a strong team wins a few tough matches but then ends up getting beaten by another strong team. But G2 demonstrated that they’re now on another level. They don’t care if it’s Natus Vincere, FaZe Clan, Team Liquid, or Heroic. Their system is so well built that almost nothing works against them.

https://twitter.com/ESLCS/status/1624861650598649860

G2’s Rise To The Top

G2’s previous experience with being the best team in the world dates back to June 2020. Only one of the current roster members was part of that team: Nemanja “huNter-“ Kovac. He joined in 2019 and can genuinely say that he’s seen all the ups and downs of G2 on their path to greatness.

The first time when G2 Esports became the number #1 team in CS:GO, their success lasted for a very brief period of time. Just a few months after reaching the peak, they were back to an obscure valley, outside of the top 10.

The massive improvements for the team came after the addition of players like Nikola “NiKo” Kovac and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov. But even with the two of them on the roster, the team continued to struggle.

https://twitter.com/ESLCS/status/1625125427466407947

G2’s lowest point in 2022 was their failure to qualify for IEM Rio Major. They had trained really hard for that event and the result was really disappointing. This was the only time in 2022 when people felt like there was no hope left for the roster.

But instead of giving up, G2 continued to train hard and in December of that year, they had their first breakthrough. It happened at BLAST Premier: World Final, where they won the trophy. This was a $1 million event that featured most of the world’s best teams.

At IEM Katowice, G2 were regarded as one of the favorites. Their run was almost flawless. They didn’t lose a single match and the only map they lost was in the Grand Final, against Heroic. The Danish team managed to beat them on Inferno, and they did it quite convincingly: 11-16.

But apart from this tiny loss, G2 looked unstoppable. The opponents they had to defeat to win the title were BIG, FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere, Team Liquid, and Heroic. Arguably the last four of these teams are among the best five or ten teams in CS:GO right now.

Header: BLAST