They never left: G2 unveil North American Valorant team

G2 Esports is returning to Valorant with a fresh roster to compete in the Americas league of the Valorant Champions Tour 2023 season. 

Two seasoned veterans who were formerly part of Sentinel, Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan, and Michael “dapr” Gulino, have joined G2 Esports, validating the reports that surface earlier. After quitting CS:GO and switching to Valorant, both players established themselves on Sentinels with their brilliant run during the early days of VCT. In addition to the veteran duo, the organization has also acquired former members of Version1, Maxim “wippie” Shepelev and Erik “penny” Penny, along with their coach Ian “Immi” Harding. Before Riot’s franchise bomb took them down, Version1 enjoyed a good time and produced a decent performance in the Valorant scene. 

 

As the last piece of the puzzle, the organization has acquired young North American talent Francis “OXY” Hoang, who is yet to make a debut in A-tier Valorant events. He was best notable for his stint with popular B-tier teams, Dark Ratio and Knights Academy, where he earned grand finals appearances in several competitions. The newly formed squad will compete in the Challengers tier of competitive play, which serves as an entry point into the competitive Valorant ecosystem.

G2 Esports VALORANT roster:

• Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan (in-game leader)
• Michael “dapr” Gulino
• Maxim “wippie” Shepelev
• Erik “penny” Penny
• Francis “OXY” Hoang

Can G2 climb to the top despite the franchise blunder?

Even though G2’s leadership has changed after the Andre Tate incident and it is not a part of Valorant’s partnership program, the European organization’s stakes in Valorant esports are still high. The organization is the home to G2 Gozen, the female world champion of Valorant and one of the most consistent teams in the scene. The tenacious European team proved to be incredibly strong during the inaugural Game Changers Champions competition when they overcame Shopify Rebellion in the finals to win the world championship.

 

The top two teams from the upcoming Valorant Ascension tournament in each of Riot’s competitive regions—the Americas, EMEA, and Pacific—will be given a spot in the partnered leagues for a period of two years. As the organization has both the desire and the zeal to propel them to the top, G2 is among the top contenders to secure a position in the international league. The professional Valorant circuit for partnered teams will begin in February 2023 with the international kick-off event, but G2 will have to wait a little longer to hit the battlefield again. While the EMEA Challengers will take place in July, the Americas edition’s date has not yet been disclosed by Riot.

Header: Riot Games