There was much fanfare leading up to Counter-Strike 2’s return to American shores at IEM Dallas, but it’s safe to say that all eyes were on G2 Esports and stand-in Stewie2K on opening day. Unfortunately, results were disappointing for the American Major winner in his return to tier one CS.

With in-game leader HooXi sidelined due to a commitment at home—his sister’s wedding—superstar NiKo took over as captain while Stewie stepped into HooXi’s shoes on day one of IEM Dallas, which saw G2 defeat a fast-finishing Falcons 13-10 to secure an upper bracket qualifier spot. There, G2’s day took a turn for the worse, as the team was brought back to reality by ZywOo and Vitality, who crushed Stewie and co. in a quick 2-0.

Stewie has tried his best to fit into the Counter-Strike team; he’s barely practiced with the team given his late addition as a roster stand-in, and has only just returned to competing as a full-fledged player in CS2 after an extended stint as a VALORANT player and streamer. His previous forays into pro CS2 came with Mythic and a stint with Brazilian team Legacy—this time around, though, it’s against the big boys in LAN play.

Stewie's main focus is mostly on enjoying the experience. "Playing with NiKo, playing with one of the best AWPers in the world [in m0NESY], how can you not enjoy that?" Stewie said after the team's best-of-one CS2 victory over Falcons. M0NESY shared a similar sentiment after the win, heaping praise on the 26-year-old star. "It feels really good to play with Jake [Stewie]. He talks a lot, brings a lot of ideas, brings a lot of energy."