G2 has officially removed Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa from their active Counter-Strike 2 roster. The announcement comes after a rough stretch for the organization, which suffered back-to-back group stage eliminations at PGL Cluj-Napoca and ESL Pro League Season 23.
Why G2 Dropped malbsMd
The Guatemalan rifler was named the 12th best player in the world for 2024. That feels like a long time ago now. His numbers have slipped steadily since NiKo left the roster, and malbsMd was asked to carry more of the firepower load.
In 2024, while playing alongside NiKo, malbsMd posted a 1.13 HLTV rating. From the start of 2025, that number dropped to 1.05. In 2026, it fell further to 1.02, and against the top 10 opponents, he managed only a 0.94 rating.
The 23-year-old clearly struggled with the added responsibility. G2 now sit at 10th in the HLTV world rankings, and their two recent group stage exits forced the organization’s hand.
The Rumored NertZ Swap Deal
According to SPUNJ on the Talking Counter podcast, there are rumors of a straight swap between G2 and Team Liquid. Under this reported deal, malbsMd would head to Liquid while Guy “NertZ” Iluz would move in the opposite direction to join G2.
One of the main reasons this trade makes sense for Liquid is regional qualification. Adding malbsMd, a player from the Americas, would shift Liquid back into the Americas VRS rankings. That matters because Liquid have been struggling badly in the European regional standings, where they currently sit 26th, well outside the qualification zone for the IEM Cologne Major 2026.
G2 has not confirmed where malbsMd will end up. For now, the organization has listed him as inactive.
G2 Prepare for Life After malbsMd
G2 has already signed up for BC.Game Masters. The plan, reportedly, is to use that event to get five matches in with whoever replaces malbsMd on the active roster.
The remaining G2 lineup consists of Nemanja “huNter-” Kovac (IGL), Matus “MATYS” Simko, Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynenko, and Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia, with Eetu “sAw” Saha coaching.
Liquid’s Major Qualification Crisis
Liquid has had a miserable 2026 so far. They bombed out of ESL Pro League Season 23 during Stage 1, placed 17th-20th at IEM Krakow 2026, and skipped PGL Cluj-Napoca entirely. Their current Valve Regional Standings position in Europe puts them 10 spots below where they need to be for a Major invite, and the April 6 cutoff is approaching fast.
If the malbsMd for NertZ swap goes through, Liquid would field NAF, EliGE, malbsMd, siuhy, and ultimate under coach flashie. The move to the Americas VRS could be Liquid’s last realistic shot at making the IEM Cologne Major 2026, which runs from June 2 to 21 in Germany with a $1,250,000 prize pool and 32 participating teams.
For NertZ, a move to G2 would reunite him with a European roster after spending over a year on Liquid. G2, ranked 10th in the world, would offer a more competitive environment than what Liquid has provided in recent months.
Both organizations are running out of time to sort this out before the Major qualification window closes.
