“Maybe we won’t throw the Major”: G2 Hades talks about Austin Major chances

G2 Esports stand-in Aleksander ‘hades’ Miśkiewicz feels the team is prepared for the BLAST.tv Austin Major after settling into the roster.

Speaking to Esports Insider ahead of Stage 3 of the Major, hades comes into the event in good spirits, joking about G2’s recent performances at IEM Dallas and PGL Astana.

“I think it’s good that we threw those tournaments, so maybe we won’t throw the Major,” joked hades, who is currently on loan from Monte.

After having two more weeks of practice to prepare for the event, Hades stated that G2 Esports’ aim for the BLAST.tv Austin Major is to ‘just play our game, try hard for every single round.’

He continued: “I would say playoffs, at least. But we aim for the win, of course. I know not many people believe, but that’s the plan.”

In addition to a hopeful win, the event is also an opportunity to showcase hades’ own abilities before his time at G2 Esports comes to an end.

 “I want to help my team. I want to play good, you know, and see how much damage we can do at this event. I have a positive mindset for the event,” he said.

Before the start of the Major, HEROIC announced that Alvaro ‘SunPayus’ Garcia and the team’s coach, Eetu ‘sAw’ Sahan, are leaving the team to join G2 after the event. As a result, the Austin Major will certainly be the last time this iteration of G2 will be seen. 

When asked whether this puts more or less pressure on G2’s players to succeed, hades stated: “I guess it can work both ways. It is less pressure, but on the other hand, maybe, people might not be as motivated because they might know the lineup will change either way. 

“So, I would say it’s both, but hopefully it’s the first one, you know, like it’s less pressure to do good.”

G2 Esports’ first match in Stage 3 of the Major is against French side 3DMAX, a team that qualified via a 3-1 record in Stage 2. 

Speaking about his opponents, hades praised the team for its playstyle, but still remains quietly confident in G2 securing a crucial first-round victory. 

“I think 3DMAX is a really good team. They have, I would say, a pretty aggressive style of playing, and also, it’s really uncomfortable to play against them a lot of the time,” he said.

“I know G2 plays against them often, and they have a good score against them, so I think it should be fine. But, I think they’re a really good team, and them getting to Stage 3 only proves that.”

So far, the BLAST.tv Austin Major has shocked many fans with its competitiveness. Some stand-out moments already include the likes of Team Falcons’ surprise Stage 2 elimination and Legacy’s impressive run. This unpredictability has even caught the attention of players.

“It’s pretty crazy, right?” said hades. “Like teams, which people put 0-3, even myself, you know, go 3-0 or they play really good CS.”

One team that the G2 player also shouted out for its run was Lynn Vision Gaming, which became the first Chinese team to secure a Top 16 Major placement since 2018.

“I don’t think many people expected, for example, Lynn Vision Gaming, to play so well,” continued hades.

“Everyone knew they were a good team, but I don’t think people expected them to go to Stage 3. I think it’s good because it means CS is becoming more and more competitive.”

Later on in the interview, hades even mentioned that Lynn Vision would be one team he’d like to compete against in competition. 

He said: “I really like the guys. I think they’re playing some good CS. We’ve played against them in Dallas, but I’d like to play them and see how well they play right now in the Major.”

G2 Esports’ Major campaign will kick off later today (June 12th) at 4 PM BST. Following the same rules as the Major’s previous stages, teams that secure three round wins will qualify for the eight-team Playoffs. Fans can tune into all the action live on BLAST’s Twitch and YouTube channels.