malbsMd: "We just need to enjoy the game, enjoy the Major, and try to be ourselves"

Though G2 are entering the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 alongside some top teams in the world, they're not like the rest of the pack. This is because G2 are playing their final event with stand-in Olek "hades" Miskiewicz before the AWPer Alvaro "SunPayus" Garcia and the coach Eetu "sAw" Saha join during the player break.

For Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa, there's no pressure on G2's shoulders this Major, so it's all about enjoying the game and going as far as they can, even though he wants to play in front of the NA crowd and potentially, his own family.

You can watch or read malbsMd's interview with Dust2.us' Editor-in-Chief in full below. All questions and answers have been slightly edited for clarity.

Welcome to the Major. Does it feel good to finally be back and at your first NA Major?

Of course, it feels like it's a special one. A special one in NA, you know? And I'm excited to make it to playings and play in front of an NA crowd, so yeah.

You're coming right off the back of IEM Dallas, which happened two weeks ago. There, we saw the team maybe not go as far as I wanted to, missing out on the playoffs. How do you feel about the team's result in Dallas?

I was disappointed, for sure. For me, I really wanted to play in front of the NA crowd because it's a good region and everything, and I heard that IEM Dallas has a good crowd, so it was hard not to make it. But hopefully, we can make it now in Austin.

Overall, the team are going through a period of struggle. You, in particular, have been posting on X and saying in interviews that you've struggled to sort of find your identity on this team, having lost NiKo and m0NESY. How are you feeling now ahead of the Major?

For sure, it's been better than it was four months ago. I feel more comfortable and more set with what I want to do, I have better ideas of how we want to play, and everything. So, I'm feeling way better, and it's good.

Do you think that loss of identity comes from something internal, or is it more external? When you joined this G2 project, you were only a piece of a puzzle with other superstars. We had NiKo and m0NESY before they went off to Falcons. Did that change everything for you?

I think it was just in me, like, everything was in my head. I was really pressuring myself a lot to be the best and it ended up being worse for me at the end, but I don't know. It's hard to say because last year, for example, we just clicked really well. I think everyone was doing their job, it was a special team, but then everything started to fall off, and then this year happened, and now we're here.

You have hades standing in for this Major, having previously stood in for two events. It's tough to replace m0NESY, but how do you think he's been doing and living up to this tough environment of needing to come in and take over from one of the best players in the world?

I think he's doing a good job. For example, it's like me, NiKo and m0NESY are hard to replace. They're just unique players. hades just needs to know that we want him to be hades, and not to be whatever he wants to be, like ZywOo or m0NESY. He just needs to be himself and play the best he can for the team, for us, and for himself as well. He's been doing a good job anyway, even though the rumors and everything, he's just been doing great.

hades is just standing in between this m0NESY accident and the player break. Is that liberating for the team, to know that this is a sort of last outing with the team? Like, this isn't a project that's going to continue beyond this point.

I think it will be a good thing for us as well because we wouldn't have this pressure of like 'Oh, we have to be this super strong G2,' because we have a stand-in. We just need to enjoy the game, enjoy the Major, and try to be ourselves, and not be pressured about anything.

How are you feeling about playing 3DMAX in your first BO1 tomorrow? That could be your first ticket to punch on your way towards the crowd you're so excited to see.

It's going to be a fun matchup, of course, I guess it's kind of fun [chuckles]. They're kind of crazy, and it's funny to play against them, it's going to be an interesting one. Hopefully, a good one as well. Playing BO1s is always hard, so we just have to be focused, have a good prep and everything, and just press Mouse1.

Should G2 make playoffs, the crowd is going to have a lot of Spanish-speaking, Hispanic audience. I heard that your family might be coming. For someone like you, who has this Hispanic angle and is playing in your home region, what would it mean for you to be in front of that home crowd?

It will be really special because, as you mentioned, I might be bringing my family, so it will be really special for me because I have always wanted to see my dad in the crowd, and he wants to see me playing. It'll be really special for me. Playing in front of the NA crowd means a lot to me.