Last night, G2 Esports unexpectedly announced that their main AWP-er kennyS has been placed on the bench, while JaCkz returns to the active roster after being benched to make room for star NIKo at the end of last year. NIKo will be switching to play as a Rifler/AWPer, while kennyS will have full freedom to find a new home for himself.
This announcement comes after a long period of poor performance from G2 in general and kennyS in particular. Throughout 2020, their most notable achievement was a runner-up position at IEM Katowice 2020 and ESL One: Road to Rio in the European region. Entering the new year 2021, they continued to exit early from the BLAST Premier: Global Final 2020, did not advance past the group stage of BLAST Premier: Spring Group 2021, and most recently, a disappointing 7th/8th place finish at IEM Katowice 2021. During this time, kennyS also did not perform at his best, with a rating of just 1.05 over the last 12 months, a disappointing figure compared to his past and other AWP-ers from top teams.
kennyS has been with G2 Esports since 2017 after transferring from Team EnVyUs as part of the dream team of French players that included the best stars of that time, such as NBK-, apEX, and Shox. Since then, he has always been an important and irreplaceable piece of G2 Esports, being the only remaining member of that lineup after numerous roster changes. This 25-year-old player is one of the most renowned AWP-ers in the CS:GO world, known for his aggressive playstyle and god-like flicks that have become his trademark. Personally, he is also known to be very friendly and humorous, making him a standout figure in G2 Esports.
In the official announcement, MaLeK, the team’s coach, shared: “kennyS is a pillar of G2 and a legend of contemporary CS. We hope that a new home will help him return to his former form. […] We believe that NIKo switching to play as a Rifler/AWPer will bring more flexibility to the team’s playstyle in the current meta. We are also confident that this change will help G2 Esports return to being a top team in the world.”
This change comes just three days before ESL Pro League Season 13 begins, where NIKo and his teammates will compete in Group B alongside names like FaZe Clan, Mousesports, NiP, and fellow countrymen Team Vitality.
The current lineup of G2 Esports will be:
François “AmaNEk” Delaunay.
Nemanja “nexa” Isaković.
Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač.
Nikola “NiKo” Kovač.
Audric “JaCkz” Jug.
Damien “maLeK” Marcel (Coach).
France Kenny “kennyS” Schrub (Bench).