G2 coach sAw to stand in for huNter- against Vitality after medical emergency

G2 coach sAw to stand in for huNter- against Vitality after medical emergency

G2 Esports have confirmed that head coach Eetu “sAw” Saha will step into the active lineup in place of Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač for the decisive IEM Chengdu 2025 lower-bracket match against Vitality, after the team’s captain suffered what the organization described as a medical emergency.

The team did not disclose any specific medical details but emphasized that huNter- is “okay” and simply “needs rest” before returning to competition.

The best-of-three against the world’s No.1-ranked Vitality is scheduled for 09:00 local time in Chengdu and will determine Group B’s final playoff spot. The winner advances to the knockout stage alongside FURIA, MOUZ, Falcons, and Astralis, while the loser will be eliminated in 7–8th place—just ahead of the upcoming StarLadder Budapest Major.

Both teams fought through elimination to reach this matchup

This high-stakes clash comes just hours after both Vitality and G2 survived elimination series in the lower bracket.

Vitality swept Lynn Vision 2–0, dominating the Chinese side 13–2 on Dust2 and 13–5 on Nuke, with flameZ, ropz, and apEX all posting standout performances.

G2, meanwhile, edged Virtus.pro 2–1—dropping Overpass in double overtime, bouncing back 13–9 on Inferno, and then dismantling VP 13–1 on Dust2 thanks to big games from MATYS, SunPayus, and HeavyGod.

That victory secured G2 a top-8 finish in Chengdu, but the team will now have to fight for a playoff berth without their in-game leader and star rifler.

Who is stepping in: sAw’s path to G2

sAw joined G2 this summer, transferring from HEROIC alongside AWPer Álvaro “SunPayus” García. Reports first surfaced after the BLAST.tv Austin Major that G2 were planning to sign the duo—a move that ended TaZ’s tenure as head coach.

HEROIC later confirmed the transfer, explaining that the announcement had to be made early due to conflict-of-interest regulations.

Since taking charge, sAw has overseen a rapid resurgence. Under his leadership, G2 have posted strong win rates on staple maps like Inferno, Dust2, and Train, and recently lifted the BLAST Open London 2025 trophy—their first title with huNter- as full-time in-game leader.

Now, however, sAw faces a completely different challenge: playing as a stand-in at the highest competitive level, a role rarely taken on by coaches outside of emergencies.

Not an isolated case: recent “medical emergency” stand-ins

huNter-’s absence follows a similar situation just days earlier at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, where Nicolai “device” Reedtz missed Astralis’ elimination match against Aurora due to a medical emergency, forcing coach Casper “ruggah” Due to stand in.

In both cases, no diagnosis was shared publicly, with teams prioritizing the players’ rest and recovery. The two incidents highlight how quickly unexpected health issues can reshape the outcomes of key tournament matches.

Vitality’s perspective: packed schedule and slow starts

On the Vitality side, head coach Rémy “XTQZZZ” Quoniam has spoken this week about the strain of a dense tournament calendar and his team’s tendency to start events slowly.

“We have to work on it, especially for the Major with two best-of-ones on the first day,” XTQZZZ said after Vitality’s win over Lynn Vision.

He added that the team has been taking longer breaks between events—beneficial for preparation, but possibly contributing to sluggish early performances.

With G2 now forced to field their coach, Vitality enter the decider as heavy favorites, though XTQZZZ has emphasized that G2 and Virtus.pro remain dangerous opponents. He also praised huNter-’s leadership and motivation to end Vitality’s streak of consecutive playoff appearances.

G2’s mindset without their captain

Although today’s lineup change is sudden and health-related, huNter-’s vision for the new-look G2 remains clear.

In a March interview, he reflected on a previous BLAST event as the tournament where G2 “had to prove what they can do” after a slow start to the season, stressing that every series—even losses—served as a valuable learning experience.

That attitude carried into the BLAST Open London run, where G2 finally claimed an S-tier trophy without NiKo and with huNter- calling. Afterward, he summed up his competitive mindset with the now-iconic phrase:

“Nobody beats G2 ten times in a row.”

Even without their captain, G2’s core of malbsMd, SunPayus, HeavyGod, and MATYS has already shown in Chengdu that they can perform at a high level independently.

Former teammate Nikola “NiKo” Kovač, now competing elsewhere, recently reflected on the challenges of managing multiple stars within one team:

“I find myself playing a bit more passive; it’s hard to have space for three stars in the team.”

His comment indirectly highlights what huNter- and sAw have aimed to build in G2—a balanced structure where every high-impact rifler and the team’s aggressive AWPer can shine, even if someone is missing.

Vitality’s rebuilt superteam on the other side

Vitality, meanwhile, come into Chengdu with one of the strongest lineups in CS2. This year, they added Robin “ropz” Kool, a Major and Intel Grand Slam champion, to a roster already featuring Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, Shahar “flameZ” Shushan, William “mezii” Merriman, and long-time in-game leader Dan “apEX” Madesclaire.

The organization described ropz’s signing as part of its mission to reach “greater heights” and reinforce its ambition to remain at the very top of Counter-Strike.

With that level of talent and a stated goal of chasing Astralis’ record for the most trophies in a single year, anything short of a deep playoff run in Chengdu would be seen as a disappointment for the Vitality camp.

What we actually know about huNter-’s condition

As of now, no additional details have been released about huNter-’s medical emergency beyond G2’s assurance that:

• he is “okay”

• he “needs rest”

• and the team is exercising caution by not fielding him today.

There is no indication that the issue is long-term, and no announcements suggest he will miss future events.

Until the organization provides an update, the only certainty is that G2 will face Vitality at IEM Chengdu with coach sAw stepping into the server—setting up one of the most unexpected and storyline-rich elimination matches of the season.