SAW on R1nkle : "He's a young, aggressive AWPer with great mechanics, who can also play with rifles and make good use of pistols"

SAW on R1nkle : "He's a young, aggressive AWPer with great mechanics, who can also play with rifles and make good use of pistols"

G2 have advanced to the playoffs of the Esports World Cup 2026, marking the tournament in Paris as the team's first major test following another roster overhaul. One of the main offseason changes was replacing SunPayus with the Ukrainian AWPer Artem " R1nkle " Moroz.

After the opening matches of EWC, G2 coach Eetu " SAW " Saha explained to HLTV why the team decided to let go of SunPayus and bet on the young Ukrainian. According to him, G2 wanted to change their playstyle and add more aggression, as the roster already had enough passive players.

G2 Advance to EWC Playoffs

During the group stage of the Esports World Cup, G2 defeated M80 and then won a tense match against BIG . The team faced issues on certain maps, particularly on Ancient, where they lost their lead and succumbed in overtime. Despite this, G2 accomplished their main goal — they made it to the playoffs.

We played several close maps, but we made it to the playoffs, so I'm pleased. For us, it's a pretty good result, but we need to keep developing from match to match.
Eetu " SAW " Saha

For G2, this is the first playoff appearance since R1nkle joined, so the team is still in the early stages of building a new system.

Why G2 Replaced SunPayus

According to SAW , the decision regarding SunPayus wasn't tied to a single factor. G2 had remained at roughly the same level for a while and eventually decided to try a different option.

The coach emphasized that the team was well aware of SunPayus 's capabilities but wasn't confident that the roster could reach a new level with him.

We reached a point where we had to decide: can we become better with this roster, or should we change something? We needed someone more aggressive.
Eetu " SAW " Saha

That's why the choice fell on R1nkle . The Ukrainian has a significantly more aggressive playstyle and is ready to create space for the team more frequently.

R1nkle Could Become a More Versatile Player

SAW sees in the Ukrainian not just an aggressive AWPer. According to him, R1nkle has strong mechanics, uses various weapons well, and can play with rifles.

This, in the coach's opinion, could make him a more versatile player than SunPayus was for the previous version of G2.

He's a young, aggressive AWPer with great mechanics who can also play with rifles and use pistols well. He could become a more complete package for us.
Eetu " SAW " Saha
At the same time, SAW doesn't expect R1nkle to immediately show consistent performance. The Ukrainian needs to adapt to G2's system, and the team needs to understand how to best leverage his strengths.