G2 Esports has announced that it will be playing with coach Wiktor ‘TaZ’ Wojtas as a stand in for Nemanja ‘huNter-‘ Kovač for this years PGL Astana 2025.
The esports organisation went online to say that the replacement was caused as a result of huNter- facing VISA issues, and that he will be absent for the starting matches of the tournament.
In the announcement online, G2 wrote: “Due to the competition being too easy (VISA issues), huNter- will not be travelling to PGL Astana until it’s resolved. We will be playing with TaZ as our stand-in for the starting matches.”
This is the expected roster for G2 headed into PGL Astana 2025:
- Mario ‘malbsMd‘ Samayoa
- Nikita ‘HeavyGod‘ Martynenko
- Janusz ‘Snax‘ Pogorzelski (captain)
- Aleksander ‘hades‘ Miśkiewicz (loan)
- Wiktor ‘TaZ‘ Wojtas (coach/stand-in)
- Nemanja ‘huNter-‘ Kovač (currently absent)
TaZ is the current Counter-Strike 2 coach for G2, and a former CS:GO professional player. As a player, his most notable accomplishments include coming first with Virtus.pro at DreamHack Masters Las Vegas 2017, and as a coach, he oversaw G2 as they came second in PGL Bucharest 2025.
Taz made a post online announcing his return, followed by a second post saying ‘they asked how to save Polish CS’ and ‘mission completed.’ There was also a message by huNter- expressing support for his stand-in.
The absent player, huNter-, has proven to be a strong player in his own right. Contributing to G2’s success in the Counter-Strike scene in 2024, such as their top placement in the BLAST Premier: World Final 2024.
Online, one user wrote: “Classic G2 flex—’competition too easy’ is a hilarious way to announce a stand-in. TaZ stepping in is going to bring a wave of nostalgia for Polish CS fans. With hades and Snax already on the team, this Polish trio could cause some serious chaos.”
PGL Astana 2025 will see 16 teams, both qualified and invited based on VRS Global ranking, compete for the lion’s share of $625,000 (~£493,000). It will run from May 10th-18th, 2025, beginning with a Group Stage, with a Swiss System Format and best-of-three matches. The top eight teams proceed to play-offs, a single-bracket elimination with best-of-three matches, and a best-of-five Grand Final.