HeavyGod on Missing HLTV Top 20 2025: Expectations, Pressure and G2’s Progress

G2’s Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynenko says narrowly missing HLTV’s Top 20 Players of 2025 list stung more than he expected — not because he is obsessed with rankings, but because so many people around the scene had convinced him it was basically guaranteed.

Speaking on media day ahead of the IEM Kraków playoffs, the 23-year-old anchor admitted that the situation was “a bit harmful” mentally, largely because he had started to believe the hype. In his words, multiple tier-one players had told him the Top 20 spot would happen — and when it didn’t, there was an inevitable emotional drop. Still, he framed the outcome as something to accept and move past rather than dwell on. 

The context is important: HeavyGod ended 2025 as the first player outside the Top 20 at No. 21, after a year that included a genuine peak — and a long stretch where G2 failed to match that high point. 

A trophy high… then a year searching for consistency

G2’s best moment of 2025 came in London. In September, they won BLAST Open London 2025 after a dramatic 3–2 grand final over Vitality at Wembley Arena, earning what HLTV described as their first title of the year under huNter- as in-game leader. 

HeavyGod wasn’t just along for the ride — he was central to the victory. HLTV awarded him the event MVP, highlighting that his case was strengthened both by playoff performances and by key showings earlier in the tournament. Shortly after lifting the trophy, he talked about the moment as a career milestone and credited the structure around him — especially huNter-’s leadership and coach sAw’s impact through timeouts and preparation. 

But the same HLTV interview in Kraków makes clear that London didn’t become the foundation for a consistently elite season. HLTV’s report notes that after that early surge (including the London title), G2 managed only one additional playoff appearance for the remainder of the year — the kind of team inconsistency that can weigh heavily when annual rankings are decided across many events. 

That broader pattern also helps explain why the “almost Top 20” finish became such a talking point. HLTV’s methodology emphasizes not only raw statistics but also context: performance at notable events, impact deep in tournaments, and how strong the sample is across the year. A smaller number of deep runs can make it harder to compete with players whose teams repeatedly reach late stages and collect EVP/MVP mentions. 

Why HeavyGod says 2026 isn’t about a list

In Kraków, HeavyGod tried to reframe the conversation: he said he doesn’t want his 2026 goal to be “make Top 20.” Instead, he stressed trophies and team performance — arguing that if G2 are doing the right things, individual recognition will follow naturally (and could even include multiple G2 players on the list). 

He also pointed to the underlying theme he believes will decide whether G2’s season looks like the post-London slump or something more stable: mental consistency and preparation. He described the team’s focus as building stability — as a group and psychologically — and said they’ve tried to maximize their work heading into the season across individual form, match prep, and mentality. 

Kraków: early proof of progress, but not satisfaction

So far, G2’s 2026 start at IEM Kraków has at least addressed one of last year’s pain points: playoffs. They reached the arena after beginning their run in Stage 1, beating The MongolZ and then taking down FUT 2–1 to lock in a playoff berth — a result HLTV framed as a strong opening statement after skipping BLAST Bounty. 

G2 then had a real shot at skipping the quarterfinals, but lost a tight best-of-three to Spirit. HLTV’s match report described Spirit securing the win 2–1, including an overtime finish on Dust2 after trading map wins earlier in the series. 

HeavyGod’s own takeaway was pragmatic: he acknowledged Spirit punished G2’s mistakes and were the better team on the day. And while he called making playoffs an important step “in the process,” he insisted it’s not the endpoint — G2 want deeper runs and titles, not just appearances. 

Now, that mindset gets tested immediately. G2 face MOUZ in the IEM Kraków quarterfinal on February 6, 2026, with a semifinal against Vitality already set on the bracket for the winner. 

The bigger arc: from NiKo’s exit to HeavyGod’s responsibility

HeavyGod’s current role in G2 is also part of a longer rebuild story. When he joined in early 2025, HLTV positioned the signing as one of G2’s answers to replacing NiKo after the Bosnian star departed for Falcons. HLTV reported that HeavyGod taking over anchor duties helped free malbsMd into roles he was more comfortable in — a structural shift that underlines why HeavyGod’s value isn’t always captured by highlights alone. 

That background matters when you read his comments about Top 20 expectations. He isn’t presenting himself as a player chasing individual glory; he’s presenting himself as someone whose job is to make the team work — and who believes the real “scoreboard” is trophies.

In Kraków, he also highlighted how much he’s looking forward to being back in an arena environment — especially in Poland, where he expects strong crowd energy — and he sounded genuinely motivated by the chance to turn G2’s “good step forward” into a deeper run.