Natus Vincere’s Justinas “jL” Lekavicius thinks some of CS:GO’s biggest superstars won’t shine as much at the beginning of CS2 because they’re not putting much effort.
Though CS2 looks similar to CS:GO, the game has new mechanics such as how the smoke grenades fill the space, the HE grenades provide more information, and fewer rounds are played in regulation, which fundamentally changes the approach at the highest level. JL is convinced some CS:GO superstars will struggle, especially in the beginning.
“The game is a little different, of course, we are going to have all the same superstar players, but I think they will struggle a little bit at the start just because it’s not the same game,” jL said in an interview with HLTV on Oct. 16. “The mechanics are different, and I know some superstars are skeptical about the game and not putting in as much work as they should or they could. I think we’re going to see a lot of superstars drop off a little until they can find their own groove.”
JL is someone who could take advantage of this new beginning provided by CS2’s launch. The Lithuanian has competed since 2020 and only started to shine in 2023 when he helped Apeks surprisingly reach the semifinals of BLAST Paris Major in May.
His performance at the final CS:GO Major landed him a spot in NAVI’s international project for CS2 and he’s a part of a tier-one team for the first time in his career. JL told HLTV that CS2 provides a good opportunity for a player like him because he can set his own path instead of just copying what people were doing in CS:GO.
Although it’s too soon to say, jL is having a hell of a start in CS2. The rifler took over as fragger—s1mple is not playing at IEM Sydney—and dropped 30 kills to help NAVI beat Apeks at the IEM Sydney opener.
