It’s almost astonishing how G2 Esports rose to the top of the CS:GO world so quickly after missing out on the IEM Rio Major in October 2022. Until Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen of G2 led the team to victory in the BLAST Premier World Final in December 2022, which was G2’s first significant victory since DreamHack Masters Malmö in 2017, most esports analysts were dubious about Nielsen’s skills to manage a team full of star players.

The year came to an end, and G2 made a triumphant return in 2023 to begin the new competitive season in the best conceivable fashion. They easily defeated rivals in the January BLAST Premier Spring Groups competition, and more significantly, they maintained that form and confidence into IEM Katowice, the year’s first $1 million CS:GO tournament. Whether it was FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere, or Team Liquid, G2 proceeded to destroy opponents in Poland and won the championship yesterday against Heroic, setting a new record for consecutive map victories (21). They now own the second-highest LAN map victory streak in CS:GO, trailing only the legendary 87-0 mark set by Ninjas in Pyjamas between 2012 and 2013.

What, though, did G2 do differently following the IEM Rio Major disaster that allowed them to quickly rise to the top of the CS:GO world rankings? Star player Justin “jks” Savage said that HooXi and the other players are now more at ease. In August 2022, they joined NiKo, huNter-, and m0NESY on G2, but it’s only now that everyone genuinely trusts in one another.

After defeating Team Liquid yesterday at IEM Katowice, jks told Dot Esports, “The simplest reason is that everyone has stepped up more on the team.” “Everyone is more at ease in their role on the squad, both during and outside of the game. Everyone is giving more of themselves to the team, everyone has a lot more faith in one another, and I think we’re all simply on the same page. We took a few months to gel as a very good team, and I didn’t believe it was Rio since I was still really new to the squad at the time.

Based on their player statistics throughout the group stage and playoffs of IEM Katowice, we can conclude that G2’s system is operating properly. According to HLTV, their three riflers—jks, huNter-, and NiKo—placed in the top 10 players with ratings of 1.24, 1.21, and 1.17, respectively. The AWPer m0NESY almost succeeded too; his final rating was 1.14.

During IEM Katowice, HooXi’s individual rating stayed below average (0.91), but that’s acceptable as long as his tactical system functions and he makes the most of the four-star players. After leading the squad to victory in the BLAST Premier World Final at the end of 2022, it is clear that the Dane has earned the trust of everyone on the team.

Maintaining its position at the top will be G2’s future struggle. According to jks, the competition is as fierce as ever and no single team threatens G2. According to the Australian rifler, any elite squad in 2023 has a chance to take home victories.

All of the elite teams must be avoided, according to jks. “I think everyone from the top 10 can play well on a day or in a tournament. It’s the most competitive it has ever been. It only takes concentrating on our own game, making sure we’re always improving it, and staying one step ahead of everyone else.

Before G2 began to rule, Vitality won the 16th season of the ESL Pro League, Outsiders won the IEM Rio Major, and Heroic won their first significant tournament at the BLAST Premier Fall Final. Along with these groups, FaZe, NAVI, and Liquid are all capable of dominating competitions.

ESL Pro League season 17, which takes place between February 22 and March 26, will be the next significant CS:GO competition. There is still more than a week of practice left, and it is safe to say that every top team will study how G2 performed at IEM Katowice and prepare to defeat them. Along with Cloud9, Outsiders, and Fnatic in Group A, Jks and company must make the playoffs in order to maintain their momentum.