After enduring a tough spell on the bench at NIP, the Ukrainian sniper is thrilled to be back playing tier-one matches.
r1nkle said he is very happy at G2. In June, after two months on the bench at NIP, G2 gave him the opportunity to return to competition.
At EWC, his first LAN event since joining G2, the Ukrainian sniper has already delivered multiple standout performances. In yesterday's thriller against Astralis, he posted a game-high 1.31 Rating to help the team advance to the quarterfinals.
r1nkle: I'm really happy to be able to fight with this team and stand on this stage. He told HLTV after the match: "G2 fans are amazing, I'm really enjoying all of this. When we walked in, you could feel how much everyone was supporting us, that feeling is truly indescribable. I'm grateful to have this opportunity and thankful for these moments. I'm much better than before, but there's still a lot to learn in G2's system, I'm slowly adapting and fitting in. Not at 100% yet, there's still a long way to go."
r1nkle was benched after a slump in form in early 2026, during which his average Rating against top50 teams was only 1.02.
When asked why he failed to make it at NIP, r1nkle blamed his mindset.
r1nkle: "I felt my mindset wasn't right over there, but looking back, everything that happened might have been a good thing. My mindset is much stronger than before, and I'm training harder."
Considering his performance in the latter stages with NIP, was he surprised to receive an invitation from a higher-tier team?
r1nkle: “It was definitely a surprise. You can't expect that after being benched, a tier-one team would suddenly come to you out of nowhere. Nobody would have expected that. My thought at the time was, since the opportunity is here, then I deserve it. After being benched I kept training hard, so everything just fell into place naturally. Just keep working hard.”
r1nkle took over the AWP from SunPayus. G2 wanted more aggression while also reducing the number of shot-calling voices on the team, with head coach sAw saying he believes the Ukrainian has the potential to become a more well-rounded player than SunPayus.
r1nkle: "huNter- and sAw made it very clear what they wanted from me, they wanted a more aggressive, more proactive player, and that's the player I am when my mindset is right, and my mindset is right now. In a way, I feel like nothing can stop me right now."
After defeating Astralis, G2 will face the winner of FURIA and Aurora in the quarterfinals. r1nkle said he has no preference for the next opponent and is simply enjoying every moment.
r1nkle: "My goal for this season is simple: train hard and don't care too much about what others think. Keep working hard, stay positive, enjoy the game, enjoy life, keep improving, that's it."