G2’s CS:GO in-game leader, Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen, has faced relentless criticism since joining the team in August 2022. However, according to NiKo, the team’s superstar, and key player, HooXi shouldn’t bear all the blame. Fans and analysts have been quick to call for his removal, especially after poor individual performances and the team’s failure to qualify for the IEM Rio Major and make playoffs at the BLAST Paris Major.
NiKo defends HooXi, citing unfair treatment when compared to other IGLs like karrigan and apEX, who lead star-studded rosters in FaZe Clan and Vitality, respectively. NiKo points out that HooXi’s statistics are similar to apEX and karrigan, but some fans hold biases against him since they didn’t agree with G2’s initial decision to pick him.
Analyzing their individual statistics from August 16, 2022, to September 18, 2023, supports NiKo’s argument, with apEX slightly outperforming HooXi. However, what these stats don’t reveal is that HooXi faces the most challenging circumstances, according to HLTV’s findings on September 18.
| HooXi’s statistics from August 16, 2022 to September 18, 2023 | Karrigan’s statistics from August 16, 2022 to September 18, 2023 | ApEX’s statistics from August 16, 2022 to September 18, 2023 |
| 0.86 rating | 0.88 rating | 0.93 rating |
| 0.75 K/D ratio | 0.78 K/D | 0.84 K/D ratio |
| 0.51 kills per round | 0.54 kills per round | 0.55 kills per round |
| 60.4 ADR | 64.3 ADR | 67.7 ADR |
| 67.4 percent KAST (kill, assist, survived, and traded) | 65.1 percent KAST | 67.7 KAST |
HooXi’s achievements as G2’s captain, including three tier-one tournament titles (BLAST Premier World Final in December 2022, IEM Katowice in February 2023, and IEM Cologne in August 2023), cannot be overlooked. These victories marked G2’s first significant trophies since 2017.
HooXi’s resilience in the face of criticism will be put to the test during ESL Pro League’s group D. G2 is a favorite to secure a playoff spot and will kick off their campaign against Lynn Vision on September 20 at 9 am CT. Other prominent CS:GO teams in the group include Team Liquid, Virtus Pro, Complexity, 9INE, Cloud9, and Eternal Fire.