G2 signs r1nkle to bolster roster after SunPayus departure

G2 Esports has signed Ukrainian AWPer Artem “r1nkle” Moroz, filling the roster spot left by Álvaro “SunPayus” García, who was benched on the same day. The move, finalized on June 25, gives the 21-year-old a fast track back to elite competition after spending barely two months on the sideline.

NiP benched r1nkle on April 15 after the team failed to qualify for the IEM Cologne Major. Now he’s slotting into a top-9 squad.

From the bench to the big stage

r1nkle’s journey to G2 follows a turbulent stretch with Ninjas in Pyjamas. He initially joined NiP in April 2025 and signed a contract extension just a month later, in May 2025. Then the IEM Cologne Major qualification campaign went sideways, and by mid-April 2026, r1nkle found himself watching from the bench.

Why SunPayus didn’t work out

SunPayus joined G2 in mid-2025 as part of a broader roster overhaul that also brought in coach sAw. The Spanish player had come over from Heroic. After roughly a year of active play with G2, SunPayus’s performance declined to the point where the organization decided to move on. His benching on June 25 wasn’t exactly a shock to anyone following the team’s recent results.

What this means for G2’s competitive outlook

G2’s willingness to move quickly, benching SunPayus and signing r1nkle on the same day, suggests the organization had been planning this transition for some time.

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