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GUIDES
Simple Radar
© 2026 TLDR Media, All Rights Reserved.
You must be as tall as Snax to ride.
G2 are the best team in the world, but are also not arsed about keeping one of their better players; because if they were, G2 would make some sense.
The most ridiculous team in the world also happens to be quite good.
Team ‘Chaotic Good’ rocked up to Singapore with three missions: winning the tournament, getting Snax a positive map for once, and not losing 13-0. They got two out of three – not bad.
G2 started the tournament by losing 0-13, and were then basically untouchable as they mashed everyone to tiny little fragments and absolutely rag-dolled Team Spirit in as one-sided a BO5 as you will ever see.
If Katowice was donk’s magnum opus, this tournament might’ve just been m0NESY’s - though one imagines he could have a few more like this. Kid Lightning was absolutely incredible throughout, and was undoubtedly the best player at the event.
He won the MVP, and that still feels like an understatement.
G2 at the height of their powers are essentially unbeatable, and we mean that. There’s not a team throughout history that can live with NiKo, m0NESY, huNter- and malbsMd firing on all cylinders. There’s an argument that this team has the best rifler and AWPer of all time.
This was the height of their powers. Spirit – with donk and sh1ro – got three T rounds. In a best of five. In the grand final!
You can talk about Spirit’s issues, but that just seems like a shame when G2 are this fun to watch, and this good, and this dense in terms of firepower.
The funniest thing is, we all know G2 are going to screw up in some hilarious way in either the RMR or the Major group stages. Absolutely nailed on.
For now, though, they are not only the most fun team to watch in the world but also the best. A big +1 for chaos from us.
Final standings at BLAST Premier World Final:
1st 🇪🇺 G2 Esports – $500.000
2nd 🇷🇺 Spirit – $250.000
3-4th 🇩🇰 Astralis – $85.000
3-4th 🇫🇷 Vitality – $85.000
5-6th 🇪🇺 FaZe – $25.000
5-6th 🇪🇺 MOUZ – $25.000
7-8th 🏳️ Liquid – $15.000
7-8th 🇪🇺 NAVI – $15.000
After months of ifs, buts, and maybes, the novel seems to be over.
In a recent interview with MGG France, G2’s CEO, Alban Dechelotte, appears to have confirmed that NiKo is set to join Falcons following the Shanghai Major.
While this isn't a huge revelation for the community, the way that Alban phrased it is intriguing: “If we wanted to keep NiKo, we could have done so”, he stated, suggesting that this was a conscious decision made by the org.
Which, to be fair, makes sense.
It likely means that G2 made its decision with a long-term vision in mind. Considering that prime NiKo probably has only three or four more years left - if we’re being generous - they might have figured it was best to cash in now and reinvest those resources into a new project, led by their young stars.
“Maybe we’re already working on who will replace malbs in his anchor position, and he could move into the positions that NiKo will be leaving”, stated Dechelotte. It’s refreshing to see a CEO being so open. Other teams, take note!
On paper, this seems like a perfect fit, but what about m0NESY? How will he feel about his mentor leaving?
He’s likely not thrilled, but with a year left on his contract, his options are limited, as the CEO pointed out: “In any case, he [m0NESY] has a contract of more than a year. It's up to us. For him to leave, we'll have to accept that”.
Ok, sure, but who really cares about G2? The real fun will be watching the potential team-up of NiKo and s1mple. We will be there.
A big event needs a big cast, and the Shanghai Major delivers.
Your screens will not have a talent shortage during the Shanghai Major. The English broadcast will have 23(!) of Counter-Strikes finest on display. Headlined by the return of Richard Lewis to Majors. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
We’ll do our best to list everyone, but in case we miss someone, you can find the full list here.
Starting with the casters, SPUNJ & Machine, Scrawny & Launders, and Harry & Hugo are the headliners. The desk is in the trusty hands of Maui and YNK, with Bleh and dusT alongside them. Reliable, quality, Counter-Strike. We love it.
But wait, that’s not all.
Richard Lewis is sharing the hosting duties with TechGirl, a bit of balance. Speaking of hosts, the interviewers are Banks, Pala, and Dove. This just leaves the APAC RMR broadcast crew, starring TeaTime & YouM3 and CodyCasts & Skriv.
It’s just a shame all of this talent will be off-site for the event. What's talent without atmosphere?
