malbs vs NertZ: Who won in the exchange between Liquid and G2?

Being three months deep into the season, and with nothing meaningful to show for it so far, both Liquid and G2 have decided to make changes within their rosters. It ultimately resulted in a direct exchange in the mid-season shuffle, as both teams swapped malbsMd and NertZ. The deal came at a critical juncture in the season, with just weeks left before rosters lock for the Major. Both teams were searching for solutions to their inconsistencies, and this move signaled a clear shift in direction for each lineup.

If we look at the VRS standings for G2 and Liquid, the situation is grim. G2 are ranked 12th in the world, while Liquid sit at 33rd. G2 began the year ranked 9th, hoping to improve by sticking with the same roster. On the other hand, Liquid were ranked 15th and have fallen considerably since. However, maintaining continuity and avoiding changes has only worsened matters for both teams, who now find themselves struggling mid-season.

Liquid were at risk of missing the upcoming IEM Cologne Major, currently ranked 30th in Europe. However, with this change, they will swap to the NA region, and will likely make it to the Major. They have not looked convincing at all this season, starting with a 5–8th finish at BLAST Bounty Season 1 Finals, followed by 9–12th at IEM Kraków Stage 1, and then 9–11th at ESL Pro League Season 23 Stage 1, including losses to teams outside the top 30.

Team Liquid’s results in 2026 so far:

While G2’s current rank of 10th in Europe barely safeguards their Major slot, they too have struggled this year. Although they reached the second stage of both IEM Kraków and ESL Pro League Season 23, they have not resembled a genuine title contender. It makes you wonder what happened to the team that defeated Vitality in the BO5 final of BLAST London 2025 Finals.

G2 Esports’ results in 2026 so far:

What Both Teams Needed

Team Liquid: Stability and Identity Reset
Liquid have struggled with stability and consistency throughout the season. Even with talented individuals, the team often lacked a clear identity and reliable opening impact on T sides. What Liquid needed: a star presence to convert early-round advantages, a consistent player to provide stability, and a stylistic reset to refresh team dynamics.

G2 Esports: Firepower and Role Clarity
G2’s issues are not entirely different. They have a solid base of firepower, but when HeavyGod, primarily an anchor, is your highest-rated player, followed by MATYS, who, while solid, is not someone who can consistently deliver hard-carry performances against elite riflers and post 1.30 ratings to win you games, it highlights a structural imbalance. What G2 needed: a heavier presence on the CT sides and cleaner trade setups with better round stabilization.

Positional Compatibility on the CT Side

CT structure is often where roster changes are most noticeable. malbsMd is naturally aggressive. He prefers taking early fights, contesting map control, and forcing opponents into reactive situations. However, in this G2 lineup, he was largely assigned to anchor roles. On the other hand, NertZ plays a more calculated style. He fits comfortably into anchor or rotation roles where timing and trade positioning matter more than raw aggression. On CT sides, this makes him a stabilizing presence rather than a high-variance risk-taker.

These are two fundamentally different player profiles on the CT side, which means either they adapt to new roles or someone else on the team must adjust. On Liquid, malbs can slot into rotator roles more naturally, but on G2, it is difficult to clearly envision NertZ fitting seamlessly into anchor positions. There is a world where huNter gives up some of his star CT roles to NertZ and transitions into anchor duties. If that does not happen, we might see a decline in NertZ’s performance, especially considering he holds a 1.08 rating on CT sides so far.

T-Side Opening Stats Recently for Both

Before the swap, both teams showed issues converting early-round pressure into consistent T-side success. Liquid’s T side often struggled to secure reliable opening kills, and rounds frequently stalled when early duels were lost. EliGE, who was brought in to solve these T-side problems, has not been particularly successful in that regard. Despite not having an exceptionally high opening attempt rate, EliGE’s success rate sits at just 26.7%. The idea behind bringing in malbs could be to shift EliGE back into more favorable star roles, allowing him to focus on fragging while malbs takes on the aggressive entry responsibilities.

G2, on the other hand, have lacked a consistently reliable T-side opener. malbs is aggressive but has not been especially efficient. NertZ, meanwhile, combined the highest T-side attempt rate with a significantly stronger 50.6% success rate. The idea behind signing NertZ might be to elevate him into star roles while having huNter shoulder more of the opening burden. But then again, it raises the question of why G2 did not attempt a similar redistribution with malbs, who was once projected as the next NiKo.

Community Reactions

G2 – Liquid player swap does feel like a win-win. Liquid had too many players who need space so malbs will fit in nicely + they’ll be an Americas team now NertZ reuniting with sAw will be huge for him and G2 needs another voice on the rifle, someone who can take initiative

YNk

The community reactions have been pretty supportive of the change. kassad in his video talked about the prospect of having  malbs back to a North American team, while also giving him more space in terms of his roles. YNk also ratified the change, pointing out that NertZ reuiniting with sAw will also make a significant. But amongst songs of praises, others also pointed out that Liquid should not be able to change regions so easily to qualify for the Major.

I won’t lie I’m excited to see malbs in a liquid jersey. That being said I do feel like 5 matches makes it way too easy to just region swap before a major and is just a flaw in VRS. Curious what people think. Should it just be more matches played with the team or something else entirely to switch regions?

fl0m

 

Who Won in the Exchange and Why

It is difficult to definitively say who won this exchange, as it will ultimately depend on which team maximizes their player’s strengths. This swap, involving two stylistically similar players used in very different roles, essentially feels like both teams saying, “We can make better use of your player than you did.”

If I had to lean one way, it would be Liquid. We know the level EliGE can reach when he finds form on the T side. With malbs absorbing more of the opening responsibilities, EliGE could be freed up to produce higher impact rounds. While malbs was not exceptionally efficient on G2, he was not ineffective either, certainly not as inefficient as EliGE in opening success. If Liquid can restore EliGE to the level he showed in his peak years, their T sides could become far more threatening. On the CT sides as well, the structure appears more coherent, with clearer anchoring roles and more defined space for their star rifler. Ultimately, though, the success of this move may depend more on EliGE than on malbsMd.

As for G2, the change feels somewhat conservative. On the CT sides, the anchoring question remains. On the T sides, without malbs, who assumes consistent entry duties? If it is huNter, it invites further questions about why that redistribution was not tried earlier. The most compelling justification is that NertZ provides a higher floor. Even if his ceiling is slightly lower, G2 could become more consistent as a result. But unless this aligns closely with huNter’s vision of system fit, it may not prove to be a transformative move.