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How 2 rookies took G2 Esports out of the running at Red Bull Flick 2021
Polish rookies Team Garnuchy reflect on how they managed to fend-off G2’s professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players at Red Bull Flick 2021.
Some incredible moments came out of Red Bull Flick 2021 – the international Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament that pits rookie players and professionals against each other in a series of intense 2v2 matches. We saw last-minute wins from unlikely places, incredible clutch moments and matches that looked like they could go either way right up until the last ticket countdown.
One of the most impressive moments of the 2021 Flick was a display of exceptional teamwork that saw two young rookies take down the world-famous cousins from G2 Esports and send them packing, securing two more rookie places in Flick history.
We chat to Polish rookies Team Garnuchy – Paweł 'Yamii--' Posta and Maciej 'ZireaelGG' Wɫodarski – to find out what happened on that explosive day.
A confident return
The pair met on Twitch streamer Nzq123's channel and signing up together seemed like the obvious choice.
"We've known each other for three or four years," says Yamii. The pair had practised plenty beforehand, even entering a previous national competition together. "To be honest I don't exactly remember why I decided to join Red Bull Flick, but in 2020 there was a Red Bull Flick Polish edition and we finished in second place overall. I guess we knew that we are good on new maps as we quickly learned new things that others had problems with."
Zireael adds: "We thought we could go far. After reaching second place, we knew we could do better."
Getting through to the 2021 Invitational in Helsinki was no mean feat, but the pair remained resilient and determined that they would push through. Soon enough, in the final match of the Group stage, they were up against two well-regarded professionals from G2 Esports: Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač and Nemanja ‘huNter’ Kovač. The pair have been some of CS:GO's top players and most formidable characters, and Yamii and Zireael were mere rookies in comparison.
Nevertheless, the pair weren't particularly intimidated and had actually been hoping for a showdown in this vein. "From the very first moment we qualified for the tournament, I was waiting to play against them," says Zireael. "I've been a fan of NiKo since he was playing for mousesports, so the possibility of playing against him was very special for me. I think I was a little bit nervous, but we knew that we were better prepared and we could win."
The pair were fans of NiKo before they knew they would face him
© Victor Engström/Red Bull Content Pool
Yamii admits to shaking, not due to nerves, but rather the sheer excitement of the competition at hand: "I was shaking, but that wasn't caused by any stress, I was just so motivated and hyped that I needed an outlet for my energy. Playing versus NiKo and huNter wasn't stressful since they're just enemies and we had to pass through them to get out of the group stage."
In other words, the two pros were just another simple obstacle standing in the way of the Flick trophy.
A rookie victory
In the end, the pair secured a convincing 2-0 victory, knocking G2 out of the running entirely and making a real name for themselves on the international stage.
Discover esports legends in Unfold
Zireael puts it down to their ability with the map at hand: "We were very well prepared on that map and our cooperation was on a very high level. We controlled the game from the beginning to the end."
Yamii confesses he didn't expect too much from G2, as they didn't know the map and that he wished he'd practised more beforehand. If he had, he reflects, maybe the duo would have been able to take it all the way. In any case, knocking some of the best professional players out of an international competition is nothing to be sniffed at.
"My main advice to any rookie that wants to compete in Red Bull Flick is to find your perfect team-mate," Yamii says. "It's really important to know them well and have that hunger to win more and more. You should grind 2v2 games all the time and learn to fit perfectly into the game and positions."
Zireael agrees: "The most important thing is trust between team-mates. Good cooperation is a basic thing and creating your own style for this kind of competition is very important. Everyone needs to know what to do at each specific moment. And, of course, the communication – fast and precise."
Find out more about Red Bull Flick and sign yourself up here.
