huNter-: “I regret that I didn’t try to become a captain earlier”

huNter-: “I regret that I didn’t try to become a captain earlier”

Ahead of FISSURE Playground #2, we sat down with Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač of G2 Esports. Fresh off an unexpected BLAST London triumph, he discussed his evolving role, team dynamics, and aspirations as his squad rebuilds. 

Interview Highlights & Reflections

On stepping in as in-game leader (IGL):

“I feel good. It's going well so far. I’m really happy with the progress we are making as a team and I as an IGL. I just need more time, more experience, and it will get even better.” 

He admitted that he had never previously held a captain role while on teams with stars like NiKo or m0NESY, a decision he now regrets:

“I was not a captain in the team with NiKo and m0NESY, and I regret that I didn’t try to do it before … from this perspective as a captain, you can see the best from your team.” 

When asked whether he believes he can become one of the top IGLs, he was measured in his response:

“There’s a lot of great IGLs and I don’t want to put myself at all near them yet. I need to prove a lot to say that I'm on the same level as them.” 

On balancing leadership and individual performance:
He acknowledged the risks many leaders face—losing firepower—but expressed confidence in his teammates:

“I’m not afraid if I have good teammates around me … even if my individual skill is going down, I know that I have somebody who will carry me … I’m trying my best to keep the individual level … and everything else will come with work.” 

On roster changes and playstyle differences:
huNter- compared his experiences playing with m0NESY versus SunPayus:

“It’s a bit different compared to SunPayus, who came here as a complete player … he is the guy who is helping a lot, calling around a lot. Ilya [m0NESY] was doing his things, focusing on himself more.” 

On expectations after the BLAST win:

“Nobody expected us to win that event. But now people expect to see a good G2 again. … Now it puts extra pressure on us.” 
“We had, like, a night after we won to celebrate … then we had two travel days … tonight we already need to focus on what’s in front of us.” 

He described their mindset in the final against Vitality:

“We just tried to reset for the next one … ‘Let’s play our game, whatever happens, it’s fine’ … We lost the first map, we lost the second … we didn’t even discuss what happened … ‘Let’s reset for the next one.’” 

Regarding team goals, he kept things grounded:

“My full focus is always on the next event and the next game … I don’t like to put any expectations. My goal is just to be better every week, every game, every event.” 

Additional Context & Related Remarks

Performance & recent statements:
In a later interview, huNter- spoke about G2’s success over Team Spirit and how their new system is shaping up under coach sAw. He mentioned that, earlier in his career, he had declined captaincy requests:

“I’ve been asked many times in my career to be an IGL and I didn’t want to accept it … I’m 29 years old and we are building a new lineup … why not, let’s try it.” 

He also said that coach sAw builds around the players, rather than imposing a fixed structure:

“He’s not trying to force ideas that he had in Heroic. He’s trying to make every player the most comfortable he can.” 

Background & legacy:

huNter- (Nemanja Kovač) has a lengthy professional history, competing in about 160 tournaments, securing numerous top-three finishes (including ~20 first places) in his career to date.

On Liquipedia, he’s listed as a Bosnian-Serbian player, currently on G2 Esports, with past experience in CS:GO and transitioning into Counter-Strike 2. 

Historical quotes & perspective:
Back in 2019, huNter- shared a more personal moment during a match against his cousin NiKo:

“It is a bit of a bad feeling, I don’t like when NiKo loses … I watch his every match … even though I was blind I sprayed and I killed him … I said ‘Gde ces, znam te!’ (‘Where are you going, I know you!’).”