huNter- Breaks Down G2’s Budapest Major Failure and Their Path Forward

Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač has had a few hours to digest G2’s early exit from the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, and his conclusion is blunt: the team simply failed to turn up in two of their key matches.

G2 arrived in Hungary as one of the favourites for a playoff spot. Since huNter- took over in-game leading duties earlier in the year, the rebuilt roster had shown promise and even lifted a trophy at BLAST Open London 2025, where they upset Vitality 3–2 in the grand final to claim their first title with the new lineup. That success, he now admits, may have inflated expectations for a squad that has only been together for about half a year.

From 2–0 to elimination

In Budapest, G2 started Stage 3 strongly. The team won their first two best-of-ones, results huNter- describes as somewhat fortunate in terms of opponents, but still enough to move them into a comfortable 2–0 position. From there, however, the campaign derailed.

Their first loss came at the hands of FURIA, one of the hottest teams in Counter-Strike right now. The Brazilian side, who recently won IEM Chengdu and BLAST Rivals, continued their dominant form by sweeping G2 2–0 in the 2-0 match to reach the playoffs with a pristine 3–0 record. FURIA’s win on Inferno was fuelled by a star performance from Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato, while a composed finish on Overpass closed the series and pushed G2 down to the 2–1 pool.

G2’s second chance came against The MongolZ, and it went even worse. The Mongolian lineup stormed through the series with scorelines of 13–4 on Ancient and 13–6 on Dust2, guaranteeing their own playoff berth and dropping G2 to a do-or-die 2–2 record. The newest addition to The MongolZ, Unudelger “controlez” Baasanjargal, posted a 1.37 rating across the two maps and was singled out as a key factor in the victory.

That set up a high-stakes family affair: G2 versus Falcons, led by huNter-’s cousin Nikola “NiKo” Kovač, with the winner taking the final playoff spot.

A painful but “acceptable” loss to Falcons

The decider against Falcons was far more competitive. As huNter- recounted to HLTV, G2 were ready for Ancient, which they expected Falcons to pick, and the team delivered on that preparation to win the opening map. On the next two maps, however, Falcons’ firepower told. Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov – formerly huNter-’s teammate in G2 – produced standout performances on Inferno and Dust2, repeatedly finding crucial multikills and swing rounds that carried Falcons to a 2–1 comeback.

Despite the disappointment, huNter- was relatively at peace with this final defeat. In his words, losing a tight series where both teams fight to the last round is something he can accept. What continues to bother him is how flat G2 looked earlier against FURIA and The MongolZ. He stressed that the team failed to show their true level in those matches, even while acknowledging that both opponents are strong and fully deserving of their playoff spots.

From NiKo’s side, the emotions were mixed as well. Speaking after Falcons’ qualification, he described the series versus G2 as one of the hardest matches of his career, given that it decided a Major playoff spot and was played against his former organisation and his cousin. He admitted feeling relief at making the playoffs but also sadness that huNter- and G2 had to go home, noting that the series on Dust2 “could have gone either way” at points.

Hidden struggles: injuries and pressure

One detail that had not been public during the matches was the condition of G2’s AWPer Álvaro “SunPayus” García. According to huNter-, SunPayus was dealing with a serious ear infection and underwent surgery the night before the deciding series. He returned to the hotel around 4 a.m. yet still chose to play, reportedly doing so without full sound in-game. G2 deliberately kept this information private during the event to avoid adding extra pressure on him.

HuNter- emphasised his pride in SunPayus for competing under those circumstances, calling special attention to his commitment and resilience even as the team fell short.

Expectations after BLAST London

A recurring theme in the interview is how the BLAST Open London title shaped outside perceptions of G2. That victory, earned after beating several elite opponents and denying Vitality another trophy, was viewed by many as the beginning of a new era for the organisation. Reports at the time noted it was G2’s first major trophy of 2025 with the revamped roster, a run that surprised analysts and fans alike.

HuNter- pushes back on the idea that London was a fluke. He believes the team genuinely played high-level Counter-Strike there, pointing out that they were the first squad to defeat Vitality in a best-of-five final that year. At the same time, he concedes that the success was influenced by a “honeymoon” phase: a new roster, a new coach, and himself newly installed as IGL. After that event, he feels that both the community and the team themselves may have overreacted, expecting the same level of performance before the system and playbook had time to evolve.

Heading into the Budapest Major, G2 had expanded their strategies and felt well prepared during bootcamp. That makes the collapse in Stage 3 even more frustrating for him, especially in light of the fact that this is the second consecutive Major where G2 have failed to reach the playoffs after also missing out at the BLAST.tv Austin Major earlier in the year.

The burden of the IGL role

Another key talking point is huNter-’s transition to in-game leader. He describes the role as extremely demanding: beyond keeping his own individual level high, he has to manage teammates, work closely with the coaching staff, and coordinate with the organisation’s support staff. In his words, captaining a team is “a pain” that requires constant work and mental energy.

Despite those challenges, he stresses that he feels fully backed by the people around him – from coach Eetu “sAw” Saha to the players and management. That support, he says, is why he remains optimistic about the long-term trajectory of the roster.

Looking ahead: 2026 and consistency

Asked what needs to change for G2 to become a consistent title contender again, huNter- points to time and experience together. He draws a contrast with long-standing cores such as FaZe and Vitality, who benefit from years of shared play under pressure. FaZe themselves nearly went out in earlier stages of the Major before mounting a run to the playoffs, something he attributes largely to their accumulated experience and mental resilience.

For G2, he believes more bootcamps, more LAN events and simply more hours spent together – both in and out of the server – are required to reach that level of consistency. The plan now is to take a proper break, reset mentally, and start 2026 with renewed focus.

Despite the disappointment of another missed Major playoff, huNter- remains determined. He insists that the team is on the right path and personally vows to do everything he can as IGL to “put G2 where G2 belongs” – back in the fight for big trophies rather than battling just to reach the arena.