malbsMd on G2’s reset before IEM Chengdu: “We were burned out from non-stop travel”

malbsMd on G2’s reset before IEM Chengdu: “We were burned out from non-stop travel”

G2 rifler Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa says a short break from Counter-Strike has left the team “refreshed” heading into IEM Chengdu 2025, after a run of events that he describes as mentally exhausting. The Guatemalan spoke to HLTV after G2’s opening 2-0 win over 3DMAX, the same French lineup that knocked them out of ESL Pro League Season 22 earlier in October. 

According to malbsMd, the core problem wasn’t just practice volume or form — it was the calendar itself. He explained that the team had reached a point of burnout due to “constant travelling” and a packed schedule of officials and practice. G2 chose to step back between events to reset mentally, and he says that break has already lifted the mood inside the camp. 

“We took a reset… we had a bit of burnout from travelling with CS and just needed a mental break,”
the 23-year-old told HLTV in Chengdu, adding that after some time off “we feel better now.” 

Why Chengdu matters for G2’s Major run

The Chengdu event is more than just another LAN stop for G2. Because the team is skipping BLAST Rivals Season 2 in Hong Kong, a deep run in China is one of their last real tests before the upcoming Counter-Strike Major. malbsMd underlined that a strong showing here would both build confidence and keep their updated playbook out of opponents’ hands before the most important tournament of the year. 

He also pointed out that missing Hong Kong gives G2 a rare luxury in modern CS:
a week of rest followed by a dedicated bootcamp solely focused on the Major, instead of going from event to event with almost no time to prepare in a structured way. 

On top of that, Chengdu offers something he clearly enjoys: a full arena and an engaged Chinese crowd. He recalled playing in Shanghai the previous year and said he’s excited to get back on stage in front of fans in China again. 

From “terrible” months to feeling happier again

The Chengdu reset is the latest step in a long mental rollercoaster for malbsMd since joining G2 from M80. At PGL Astana 2025, playing with stand-ins and a temporary AWPer, he admitted that the start of the year had been rough:

“The last four months were terrible for me… but I think I’m finally starting to show what I’m capable of… I think I’m coming back and I feel happier,”
he said during that event. 

Between the departures of m0NESY and NiKo, inconsistent lineups, and role changes, he has repeatedly talked about struggling with pressure and identity inside G2. In a later interview around the BLAST.tv Austin Major, malbsMd admitted that a lot of that crisis came from within: he was over-pressuring himself to be the best, which in his view actually made his performances worse until he managed to reset his mindset. 

By early summer, though, things had started to turn. Speaking to HLTV in June, he said he “felt like [he was] starting to enjoy the game again”, especially after a better individual showing and a more stable structure around him. 

New-look G2 and a system built around him

G2’s current roster is very different from the superstar-heavy lineup that first signed malbsMd. After losing NiKo and m0NESY and enduring a shaky first half of 2025, the organisation rebuilt around Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač as in-game leader, adding Álvaro “SunPayus” García, Matúš “MATYS” Šimko, and coach Eetu “sAw” Saha. 

That rebuild quickly delivered results: in September, G2 won BLAST Open London 2025, beating Vitality 3-2 in a five-map final at Wembley for their first title under huNter- as IGL. 

In a detailed interview about G2’s new system, malbsMd said he now feels properly integrated and heavily supported by both huNter- and sAw. He praised his IGL for “giving [him] really good space” on the map and highlighted sAw’s “insane creativity” in building multiple variations off a single strat. 

Most importantly for his own confidence, he described a much clearer sense of purpose inside the server:

“It feels like if I die, there’s a purpose for it — and if I get the kill, there was a good reason to go in,”
he told HLTV about the new structure. 

Letting malbs be malbs, not NiKo

From the outside, many fans framed malbsMd as NiKo’s direct replacement and expected him to instantly match one of the greatest riflers of all time. Inside the team, however, the message is different.

In a BLAST.tv interview earlier this year, huNter- said that both the community and malbs himself initially wanted him to “be NiKo,” but that this wasn’t realistic or fair. The Bosnian star stressed that G2’s goal now is simple:

“We just want malbs to be malbs. We don’t want him to be NiKo.” 

huNter- also pointed out how many roles malbsMd has had to swap through over the last year, arguing that he needed time and stability to fully adjust to tier-one demands in both anchor and aggressive positions. 

That internal shift — away from direct comparison to NiKo and towards empowering malbsMd to play his own aggressive, space-taking style — is a big part of why he now says he feels more comfortable and more “himself” again. 

Managing burnout in a brutal calendar

The Chengdu interview also fits into a wider conversation across the scene about burnout and the modern CS calendar. malbsMd mentioned that it wasn’t just the flights and hotels wearing them down; it was the combination of:

Non-stop travel between continents

Long hours of team practice

Extra individual practice on top of that

A constant stream of officials with little genuine downtime 

When he talks about “traveling and traveling with CS,” he’s describing the same grind many top players have criticised in recent years — but G2’s decision to deliberately insert a reset period before IEM Chengdu and the Major suggests they’re trying to manage it proactively this time. 

What’s next

For now, the early signs from Chengdu are positive:

G2 opened with a clean 2-0 over 3DMAX, avenging their EPL elimination. 

They sit one best-of-three away from securing a playoff spot in front of a full arena. 

If they can turn this refreshed mindset into another deep run — and carry that form through a proper bootcamp into the Major — malbsMd’s story might continue the arc that began back in the darkest part of his slump: from “four terrible months” and heavy self-doubt to becoming the confident, high-impact star G2 built this new project around.