With no chance to make a mark at IEM Dallas, G2 Esports shocked the Counter-Strike world by making it to the playoffs with a 2-1 reverse sweep over local heroes Liquid. The surprise victory leaves just one North American star gracing the Dallas stage as this weekend continues: G2 stand-in Stewie2K.

Stewie was overwhelmed in the post-match interview, saying that adrenaline was pumping through his body after pulling off the reverse, which included a 9-0 run on Inferno and a max-regulation decider on Nuke. "I'm just blown away, I have no words," he said, adding that he and the team were confident they could complete the lower bracket run after defeating MOUZ in yesterday's semifinals.

On a personal level, Stewie has warmed up again in competitive CS2, which hasn’t changed all that much since his last LAN outing nearly two years ago. “I feel like I still have a lot in my head, memorized and stored, but it’s about getting reps and making better decisions and not wavering,” he said. The 26-year-old currently has a 0.83 HLTV rating in Dallas, but has shown glimpses of the Smoke Criminal we all know and love, and his round-by-round impact is better than what the stat sheet tells us.

"I was hesitant the first day, but after playing MOUZ and beating them, I knew the podium was definitely a possibility. I came out with a different kind of tenacity today: being the only NA player on the podium." He proved that with the 2-1 victory, led by interim captain NiKo, who Stewie said was the key to pulling it all together. "It's the NiKo show. As long as we make him comfortable, we're going to succeed, even with him in the IGL role."