G2 Esports, once the team to beat in Rainbow Six: Siege, has fallen quite far from its previous dizzying heights. In an era that had spanned from Season 4 in early 2017 to the Six Invitational in early 2019, G2 Esports not only won the Six Invitational -- twice, defending its title in 2019 -- but also the Six Major Paris, three Pro League titles, and a DreamHack to boot. A year on from the Six Invitational title defence, though, G2 Esports is no longer that fearsome squad that smashed teams without dropping a single round.
The struggles first began in Season 9, when G2 had such a poor first half of the Pro League that a stellar second half was only good to see the team finish in third place. Missing out on the Pro League Finals for the first time in its history, observers began to wonder if it was the beginning of a downward spiral for the team. Despite that miss, however, a third place in the highly competitive European Pro League was nothing to be scoffed at. The struggles continued in Season 10 for the team, but G2 went to the Six Major Raleigh with confidence, crushing teams as it had used to -- all up to the grand final, where Team Empire avenged its 0-3 Six Invitational defeat by beating G2 3-1.
G2 Esports' former roster at the Six Major Raleigh. (Photo: G2 Esports)
Despite these strong results, it was clear that G2 was far from an unbeatable team. However, the team’s struggles in the Pro League continued, and despite a late, strong push, the team once again missed out on the Pro League Finals -- thanks in part to a stellar comeback by eventual title winners Natus Vincere, who overturned a 1-5 scoreline to win 7-5. As such, G2 Esports had then squandered two chances to qualify for the Six Invitational 2020.
Chopping and changing its rosters to try and find some success, first dropping Joonas “jNSzki” Savolainen for Aleksi “UUNO” Työppönen and then Daniel “Goga” Mazorra Romero for Pascal “Cryn” Alouane after Team Liquid and BDS Esport prevented qualification to the playoffs at DreamHack Montreal 2019. The experiment with Cryn was a certain failure, however, as two more chances went begging for G2 -- the first when MIBR surprised the team at the OGA PIT Minor, and the second when MnM Gaming stunned the team in the online qualifier for the Six Invitational.
Cryn at the OGA PIT Minor.
Now, having dropped Cryn for the loanee of Ferenc “SirBoss” Mérész from PENTA, G2 Esports heads to the Six Invitational after having been invited there. To know more about the team’s preparation, SiegeGG spoke to the longest-standing player on the roster, Niclas “Pengu” Mouritzen:
Through the invite your team has been given a chance to defend your title. How did your team receive the news, was there some surprise in your camp?
So far, your Pro League season has been largely middle-of-the-road, much like your past two seasons. Could you shed some light on what seems to be the issues?
Your team has an impressive support staff, with Shas, Sua, and Fresh all helping out. How do all these moving pieces work together?
Do you believe another era of dominance, like your team enjoyed for nearly two years, is possible?
Your team was surprised by MIBR at the OGA PIT Minor and MnM Gaming in the online qualifier. What steps have you taken to avoid that this time?
Much has been said about the seeding process for the groups. Does your team have any gripes with it? Some argue your team was favoured with an easy group.
How do you think that the double-elimination playoffs will change the dynamic of the event, and what is your opinion of the one-map advantage in the grand final?
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G2 Esports plays Team Reciprocity as the opening match, with matches against either Wildcard Gaming or BDS Esport scheduled afterwards. Check back here at SiegeGG for more Invitational Insights and full coverage of the event as it comes.