[Interview] GIANTX's neT on being benched at Cloud9 and moving to Europe — "She supported me the whole way". Plus the switch from Sentinel to Initiator

After the loss — looking back at the Liquid match

On 29 July 2026, week three of Group Omega at VCT 2026 EMEA Stage 2, Team Liquid beat GIANTX 2-0. Breeze (13-6) and Split (13-7) both made for hard reading for GIANTX.

In the post-match interview, neT was candid.

"Losing doesn't feel good. Liquid executed their game plan really well. We didn't. Our performance wasn't there."

For Team Liquid, kamo (Phoenix / Raze) was outstanding at a 1.56 rating and 300 ACS, driving the win. For GIANTX, westside fought back with a 1.20 rating, but as a team they could not stop Liquid's attack.

The roster problem behind the lack of preparation

GIANTX faced serious roster difficulties this stage. Cihan "musz3kk" Göçer, due to join alongside neT for Stage 2, could not obtain a visa, forcing the team to react at short notice. On 25 July 2026 they terminated musz3kk's contract and formally signed Adam "Jesse" Čtvrtníček (Czechia), who had been brought in as an emergency stand-in.

neT explained how it unfolded.

"I was practising with musz3kk, but once the visa was formally rejected we started practising with Jesse. We had almost no practice time with Jesse — the first time we played together was the day before the Fnatic match."

It was, in other words, an extremely difficult start, with team chemistry having to be built in a very short window.

From Sentinel to Initiator — the role change and a view on the meta

neT has been known throughout his career as a Sentinel specialist, holding that role at The Guard, G2 Esports and Cloud9. At GIANTX he has switched to Initiator (Sova and Fade). He ties the change to the current meta.

"I wouldn't say Sentinel is just weak — it's that duelists are too strong. I also don't understand why they made initiator cooldowns that long. Almost every top team runs double duelist. It'd be nice if you could play other comps, but right now that's hard."

On Phoenix's current strength he said it was "less that Phoenix is too strong and more that the other agents are too weak", calling for balance changes.

As a model in his new role he named Sentinels' trent (Trent Cairns), saying he studies him closely.

"She supported me the whole way" — the person behind the recovery

The most striking answer came when he was asked how he got through the hardest part of his career.

In 2025, neT missed out on international events with Cloud9 and left the team that October. After spells with Tier 2 sides NRG Academy and FlyQuest, he signed with GIANTX in July 2026 and made the move to Europe. During that time, he says, he doubted his own ability and questioned whether he should keep playing professionally.

"Honestly, her support was huge. I doubted so many times whether I should really keep doing this, whether I was good enough — and she kept backing me the whole way."

"She'd say, 'You're really good, you can be one of the best players. You're this young, you've worked this hard, quitting something you love this much would be betraying yourself.' I'm genuinely grateful."

With his professional career in the balance, it was that support in his personal life that powered neT's return.

A new life in Berlin — the differences between NA and EU

VCT EMEA Stage 2 is neT's first time in a European league. He spoke positively about settling in Berlin.

"I like the city. Everyone on the team has been really kind and welcoming. They're hard-working and easy to play with."

He also had an interesting take on the cultural differences between North American and European teams.

"Europe is more direct. People say what they think, straight out. I'm that type too, so it actually suited me. An environment where you can air a complaint immediately makes healthy discussion easier."

At the same time, where G2 Esports had chemistry built over three or four years together, GIANTX have only had about a month. "It's hard for everyone to be on the same page all the time. Building that takes time," he said, acknowledging the team is not finished yet.

On ranked, he was unequivocal that "EU is better". "Pros actually grind ranked here. They do in NA too, but not to the same degree. The player pool is bigger, so it's simply more fun. It is more toxic though (laughs)," he added frankly.

Player setup

neT (IGL / Initiator)

Source: prosettings.net / Liquipedia (as of August 2026) —