G2 Esports have been disappointing as a “top team” recently, and with the legendary Richard “shox” Papillion on the way out the team needs to find their identity.

Shox is gone

G2 Esports have officially removed Richard ‘Shox’ Papillon from their active roster and have replaced him with Óscar ‘Mixwell’ Cañellas. It has been confirmed that this move is permanent and Shox will not return to G2 Esports for the foreseeable future. In addition, G2 has also made a coaching change due to Edouard ‘SmithZz’ Dubourdeaux having the desire to play professionally. He has since been replaced temporarily by their manager. This roster move sends massive shockwaves through the French Counter Strike scene, leaving two potential top players available to be bought out.

On the surface, this roster move is an immediate upgrade in terms of sheer fragging power and potential. Mixwell made himself one of the top players in North America, but showed mortality towards the end of the European OpTic roster. On the other side, he has not played against a top team since Christmas and is not a superstar. However, Mixwell brings value to G2. His often safe and calculated style will help fix several aggression issues they have plagued this core lineup, which is something that needed to be addressed.

Leading the troops

On the flip side, there is a void of leadership left by both Shox and SmithZz. While veteran Nathan ‘NBK’ Schmitt has publically been named the new in game leader, there is no telling how that will go as he has never had the role before. The coaching void has not been resolved as of now, and there is no information about a replacement. Mixwell is still learning French, so there will be a language barrier in game for at least a month and potentially more.

Mixwell’s playstyle offers more versatility than Shox. Back in Mixwell’s Optic days, he was the primary AWPer out of necessity. He was mostly passive on the AWP and did not go out hyper aggressively and dry peak angles. If he was going to peak, it would usually be 2nd or 3rd out or with a popflash. On the rifle, we got to see Mixwell’s aggressive side. Specifically on De_Train, Mixwell was jiggle peaking everything and not afraid to dive into a team’s back line. It is important to note that Mixwell will serve as a rifler in this G2 lineup.

Additionally Shox has not been replaced due to his wrist surgery, but it is likely multiple issues that have built up over time within the team. Shox did not want to In game lead anymore and did not want NBK to take over the reigns. This along with some really poor performances in the past few months. G2 esports new roster will take time to become a contender, but they still have the right amount of tools to become a top three team once again!

What should G2 do? Comment below your thoughts!



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