{"id":36013,"date":"2026-04-09T06:30:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T06:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/?p=36013"},"modified":"2026-04-09T06:32:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T06:32:29","slug":"hunter-to-miss-iem-rio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/news\/cs-2\/hunter-to-miss-iem-rio\/","title":{"rendered":"huNter- to Miss IEM Rio as G2 Forced to Field Stand-in"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Nemanja<strong> &#8216;huNter-&#8216; <\/strong>Kova\u010d will miss <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pro.eslgaming.com\/tour\/cs\/rio\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/pro.eslgaming.com\/tour\/cs\/rio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IEM Rio 2026<\/a>, <\/strong>which is scheduled to start on <strong>April 13<\/strong>, dealing a significant blow to <strong>G2 Esports<\/strong> just days before the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>huNter-<\/strong> is sidelined due to a <strong>foot injury<\/strong>, with the player revealing that a bone is \u201cslightly cracked\u201d and ligaments are \u201cseverely stretched.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bosnian rifler expressed frustration at missing the Brazilian event, stating he hopes to recover quickly and return for upcoming competitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This marks another unfortunate interruption for <strong>G2<\/strong>, who had only recently begun stabilizing their lineup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">G2 Turn to Academy Talent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Due to unforeseen circumstances, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/takesh1cs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@takesh1cs<\/a> will stand in for huNter during our IEM Rio run. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bnZGHIGGh2\">pic.twitter.com\/bnZGHIGGh2<\/a><\/p>&mdash; G2 CS (@G2CSGO) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/G2CSGO\/status\/2041924094346604734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">April 8, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To fill the gap, <strong>G2 <\/strong>will field academy player Vilius &#8216;<strong>tAk<\/strong>&#8216; Keserauskas from<strong> G2 Ares<\/strong> as a stand-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 21-year-old will be stepping into <strong>tier-one competition for the first time<\/strong>, having spent roughly 18 months developing within the organization\u2019s academy system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While relatively untested at this level, <strong>tAk <\/strong>has shown promise, making this event a potential breakout opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leadership Shuffle Within the Roster<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sunpp.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36015\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sunpp.jpg 800w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sunpp-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sunpp-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sunpp-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/sunpp-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u00c1lvaro &#8216;<strong>SunPayus<\/strong>&#8216; Garc\u00eda <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>With <strong>huNter-<\/strong> absent, in-game responsibilities will also shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00c1lvaro &#8216;<strong>SunPayus<\/strong>&#8216; Garc\u00eda is expected to take on <strong>leadership duties<\/strong>, supported by Guy &#8216;<strong>NertZ<\/strong>&#8216; Iluz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This adjustment comes at a delicate time, as <strong>G2 <\/strong>is still integrating <strong>NertZ <\/strong>into the lineup following recent roster moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Poor Timing for G2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Taking this one home \ud83c\udfc6<br><br>Not the biggest trophy, but let&#39;s respect the grind.<br>New roster, barely any scrims, two weeks abroad without PC access outside of officials, bouncing from city to city, no days off, pure lovely chaos. And still, the boys decided to show up and fight.<br><br>Far\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xj9Aae3yqF\">https:\/\/t.co\/xj9Aae3yqF<\/a><\/p>&mdash; G2 Peca (@pecagg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/pecagg\/status\/2040511347813969994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">April 4, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The timing could hardly be worse for <strong>G2<\/strong>. The team recently secured a victory at<a href=\"https:\/\/liquipedia.net\/counterstrike\/Stake_Ranked\/Episode_1\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/liquipedia.net\/counterstrike\/Stake_Ranked\/Episode_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <strong>Stake Ranked Episode 1<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong>and had been building momentum despite a packed schedule of tier-two LAN events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, limited practice with their updated roster was already a concern, and <strong>huNter-<\/strong> absence only compounds the issue heading into a major international event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">G2 IEM Rio Roster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>G2<\/strong> will attend<strong> IEM Rio<\/strong> with the following lineup:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Mat\u00fa\u0161 &#8216;<strong>MATYS<\/strong>&#8216; \u0160imko<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nikita &#8216;<strong>HeavyGod<\/strong>&#8216; Martynenko<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00c1lvaro &#8216;<strong>SunPayus<\/strong>&#8216; Garc\u00eda<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Guy &#8216;<strong>NertZ<\/strong>&#8216; Iluz<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Vilius &#8216;<strong>tAk<\/strong>&#8216; Keserauskas (stand-in)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eetu &#8216;<strong>sAw<\/strong>&#8216; Saha (coach)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What This Means for G2<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>G2 <\/strong>enters <strong>IEM Rio<\/strong> with <strong>reduced firepower and minimal preparation<\/strong>, placing additional pressure on both their new addition, <strong>NertZ, <\/strong>and their stand-in, <strong>tAk, <\/strong>to perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For <strong>tAk<\/strong>, the event represents a rare chance to prove himself on the big stage. For <strong>G2<\/strong>, it\u2019s a test of resilience, one that could define their trajectory heading into the next stretch of the 2026 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nemanja &#8216;huNter-&#8216; Kova\u010d will miss IEM Rio 2026, which is scheduled to start on April 13, dealing a significant blow to G2 Esports just days before the tournament. huNter- is sidelined due to a foot injury, with the player revealing that a bone is \u201cslightly cracked\u201d and ligaments are \u201cseverely stretched.\u201d The Bosnian rifler expressed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":36014,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5,11,247],"class_list":{"0":"post-36013","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cs-2","8":"tag-cs2","9":"tag-cs2-news","10":"tag-cs2-tournaments"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36013"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36018,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36013\/revisions\/36018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blix.gg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}