Tag: G2 Esports

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League of Legends

With Worlds on the Line, Sunday 22nd is Make or Break for 4 LoL Teams

TSM's chances to attend the LoL Worlds 2021 event are on the line in Sunday's landmark matchup. (image via Riot Games)
TSM's chances to attend the LoL Worlds 2021 event are on the line in Sunday's landmark matchup. (image via Riot Games)

League of Legends Worlds 2021 is set to kick off just a few months from now, but some of the best LoL Teams in the West find themselves on the edge of elimination from the event. Out of Team SoloMid, Cloud9, G2 Esports, and Fnatic, only two of these teams will make it to Worlds 2021.

In a landmark series of games over the weekend (Sunday 22), the very makeup of the LoL competitive scene is being reformed.

We break down these two huge matchups and how their outcomes will affect Worlds 2021.

Fnatic vs. G2 to Become an EU Representative at LoL Worlds 

Fnatic and G2 Esports are the two most decorated LoL teams in Europe. With dozens of championships between them, it would seem trivial that these teams would head to Worlds 2021. But, instead, we find them battling it out to even attend.

Despite their normal top-tier play, Fnatic has struggled in both Spring and Summer splits. Sitting strictly at the middle of the table, the team has barely made it to the playoffs in both seasons. Now they have to win this game to even find their way to Worlds 2021.

G2 Esports, with its new roster including Martin “Rekkles” Larsson (a former Fnatic player), has managed to top the tables but struggled in both post-seasons. After two playoffs, they now find themselves taking on historical rivals Fnatic for an international competition spot.

As the teams clash at 16:00pm BST, in a best-of-five competition, they’ll be battling for more than a semi-final spot. They’ll be fighting for survival and the chance to join the ascendant MAD Lions as Europe’s representative at Worlds 2021.

Cloud9 and TSM to Clash With LoL Worlds Spot on the Line

After an incredibly impressive 3-1 victory over Immortals on Friday, the regular season champs, TSM, now have Worlds squarely in their crosshairs. Their match against Cloud9 on Sunday is their most important all year.

On Thursday, Cloud9 3-0’d Evil Geniuses to secure their spot in this matchup. Having spent much of their summer split trying to replicate the success of Spring, the team now struggles in the post-season. By rights, they’d automatically be headed to Worlds alongside Team Liquid. But, instead, they face LCS rivals TSM for this semi-final spot.

What’s so crazy about this matchup is that it’s only round 3 of the Championship. There’s still a trio of incredible matchups on the way, although few will have as high stakes. In the morning, we saw the LPL and LCK have similarly high-profile matchups, and LoL Worlds 2021 feels closer than ever.

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General League of Legends

G2 Esports Enters Historic Deal with Ralph Lauren

High fashion and esports collided today as G2 Esports announced a landmark deal with fashion label Ralph Lauren. The new partnership was announced across social media and in a promotional video on June 21.

In a detailed post on their website, G2 outlined the partnership. Describing it as a collaboration, both brands explained that they’d be launching a series of digital-first activations across Twitch and TikTok. 

They went on to outline some of these collaborations: “One such campaign is the Ralph Lauren Wimbledon campaign, which celebrates Ralph Lauren’s 16th year anniversary as the official outfitter of The Championships, and sees our League of Legends star, Martin’ Rekkles’ Larsson, feature among some of the biggest global athletes.”

G2’s A=announcement video of the Ralph Lauren partnership

Higher-ups from both G2 and Ralph Lauren weighed in on the deal. Carlos “Ocelot” Rodriguez, former League of Legends pro player and founder and CEO of G2, shared his thoughts: “Today is one of the most special days in my life and G2’s history. A brand I have loved for many years is now part of the G2 family. Ralph Lauren has entered the world of gaming in partnership with G2, and nothing makes us happier and prouder than to be able to execute on their strategy while doing our thing.”

Covering New Ground

Fashion and esports haven’t always gone hand in hand, with the average esports team putting out nothing more than a series of hoodies and polyester team shirts. However, some organizations have transitioned into creating more stylish offerings, such as 100 Thieves clothing drops. 

With G2’s partnership with Ralph Lauren, perhaps the couture will start making more of an impact in esports. It’s fun to imagine scenes of pro players walking from buses in stylish suits or collecting trophies dressed to impress. Maybe we’ll see some of those energy drink fridges on streams traded in for tie racks and coat hangers.

Follow Dartfrog for all the latest League of Legends news and analysis on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.

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Valorant

KennyS to VALORANT? Former G2 Esports Player Eyes Riot’s FPS

Both the CS:GO and VALORANT scenes were abuzz today as rumours of Kenny “kennyS” Schrub’s move from one game to the other circulated. First tweeted about early on March 8, unconfirmed sources seemed to suggest that G2 Esports’ former player would make the jump to Valorant.

The post, by Valorant and FPS news leaker Arran “Halo” Spake, suggested that kennyS was taking part in a trial with Alliance. Although, according to numerous other sources, the player has yet to commit to Valorant or CS:GO either way.

Stirring the rumour mill further, kennyS himself would post a suggestive tweet a few hours later.

The potential move to Alliance and their Valorant team comes just in time for kennyS to take part in Valorant’s latest huge event. Although a free trip to Iceland is probably not the only thing on the player’s mind. Alliance’s existing roster is set to take place in the Valorant Masters from March 12-21, with kennyS potentially taking a leading role.

A Break with the Past

Part of G2’s French super team, the talented AWPer has been a star in both CS:GO and it’s predecessor CS:Source. His aggressive style, unbelievable trick-shot style AWP kills, and general attitude put him in the conversation as one of the greats. A move to Valorant would perhaps sour his legacy within Counter Strike, but would be an incredible move for the nascent Valorant esports scene.

KennyS would be the biggest name yet to make the jump to the game, marking a huge loss for CS:GO. And a huge win for Riot Games and their new shooter. After his benching from G2 in March, a move to a new game could potentially breathe new air into Kenny. Some have suggested the pro’s performance was starting to wane.

Whether kennyS moves to Valorant or not, he’s still one of the most valuable free agents on the market right now. Wherever he lands will gain huge boost in both viewership and popularity, as well as gaining a talented new star.

Make sure to follow Dartfrog for all the latest Valorant esports news on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch.

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League of Legends

Perkz signs with Cloud9: A new hope for NA fans

League of Legends will see its most important transatlantic trade in recent memory as Luka “Perkz” Perković officially signs with Cloud9. The announcement of Perkz deal with Cloud9 came just hours after his former team, G2 Esports, revealed the signing of Martin “Rekkles” Larsson. The signing, revealed across social media on November 20, fills in some of the final pieces of the LoL free agency period.

We’ve known since early November that Perkz would likely make the move from the LEC to the LCS. However, only now has the move been confirmed. With a reported five million dollar buy-out clause and a multi-million dollar contract on the line, exactly where the star mid and bot laner would land was up for debate. Taking over the mid role in C9 was one of the most likely destinations.

Three days ago, G2 Esports bid farewell to Perkz in an emotional series of posts on their website. Since debuting on the team as a rookie, the player developed alongside G2 Esports to become one of the very best in the world. His move to NA could fundamentally shift the balance between the regions.

And that’s just what Perkz wants to do. In a reply to the announcement of his signing, the freshly minted NA import proudly stated that this would be the “first year that NA is better than EU.”

Still, despite the confidence shown by C9’s newest player, questions remain as to whether the Croatian player will be able to adapt to the NA lifestyle. North America’s solo-queue comes under frequent criticism for its bad attitude, and numerous cases exist of players moving regions to NA, only to flounder in their new region. Notable examples include the legendary Henrik “Froggen”  Hansen, Alexey “Alex Ich” Ichetovkin, and Dennis “Svenskeren” Johnsen.

However, if Perkz can avoid the fall off in ability and motivation which has struck almost every import to NA, C9 seem poised to dominate the region. Their 2021 roster is one of their strongest of recent years, and with the signing of Perkz to Cloud 9, they’re ready to make a push to more international competition – something they missed out on in 2020.

Still hungry for League content? Count on Dart Frog for all the latest League of Legends news! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

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League of Legends

Perkz to NA? Reported 5 Million Dollar Move For G2’s Golden Boy

LEC fans brace for the worst as G2’s Luka “Perkz” Perković is reportedly preparing for a move across the Atlantic to North America. The alleged transfer of Perkz to NA was revealed by journalist Jacob Wolf in a tweet posted late evening, November 9.

North American League of Legends is well-known for hooving up the top European talent in a desperate attempt to improve its international performances. But this latest move dwarves all of them. With a reported $5 million buyout, and “record-setting” salary, the potential switch would make the 22-year old the single most valuable player in all of esports.

Perkz has been a core component in G2’s lineup since late 2015. Originally a mid laner, the Croatian star swapped to bot lane, to facilitate the signing of Rasmus “Caps” Borregaard Winther. Together, the duo became the two best carries in the LEC, taking G2 to three world championships, twice making it to the semi-finals. In 2019, Perkz was part of the G2 roster which came within a hair’s-length of winning Worlds, only falling to FunPlus Phoenix in the finals. 

A Perkz move to NA would be a huge blow to G2 and the LEC as a whole, giving up a generational talent as they move towards the prospect of a huge payday. North America has historically struggled at international competition, especially at Worlds. Many believe a move to NA would by default eliminate any chance that Perkz sees another Worlds final in his career. 

While all this remains speculation until an official announcement, some teams are more likely destinations than others. A move to Cloud9 would reunite Perkz with old EU LCS teammates. Meanwhile, 100 Thieves just announced the departure of Liyu “Cody Sun” Sun, giving them a spot that needs filling. It’s also not certain whether Perkz will continue to play bot lane, instead returning to Mid, where he’s played for many seasons. 

Wherever Perkz finally lands will gain the benefit of one of the most internationally experienced players in League of Legends. Having been to three MSI tournaments, and had four consecutive Worlds appearances with G2, there’s few with a similar resume in the game. Perkz is an upgrade over almost every player in his role in the North American region.

Still hungry for League content? Count on Dart Frog for all the latest League of Legends news! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!

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CS:GO

G2 Esports comeback to win BLAST Premier Fall 2020 Group C

G2 Esports has pulled off a huge victory at the BLAST Premier Group C with their brand-new team. G2 Esports is temporarily running a six-man team has the roster is attempting to step up after falling off a bit over the last few months. The organisation recently brought on Nikola “NiKo” Kovač to the roster, to reunite the Kovač family as he and his cousin Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač are finally on the same team.

A slow but steady climb

G2’s new roster was no doubt going to be a big deal when they announced NiKo as the new player on the team. The star player on FaZe Clan is one of the best European CS:GO players in the game. However, he sometimes has the odd difficulty here or there. Teams with new rosters tend to take time to gel, but they started strong against North America’s #1 team, FURIA.

The series was quick and efficient for G2, as they managed a 2-0 series. This is a bit fo a shock considering the strength of the FURIA roster and the newly formed G2 roster. Anyway, G2 took Mirage 16-10, followed by a Nuke win on 16-11. Moving on, they faced Astralis in the Upper Bracket.

However, the freshness of the roster caught up with them, as the reuniting Astralis five-man core had returned. The major winning team won the series 2-1, but thy did have to reverse sweep it. G2 pulled off a 16-11 win on Dust II, but that isn’t too much of a surprise. The major winning era of Astralis had two weak points, Cache and Dust II. The biggest factor about Dust II was the arrival of NiKo onto the team. The new player found himself getting his first ace on G2, only three live games into his tenure on the team. It may have been against pistols, but the shutdown clearly encouraged him as he went on to 38-16 kill death, and a 135.1 ADR.

NiKo’s first ace on G2 Esports

With Astralis’ loss out of the way. They bounced back with a classic Nuke 16-12 victory, and a 19-15 Inferno win. Astralis’ T side Nuke earned an 8-7 lead, which is always bad news for Nuke’s CT sided favour. Over on Inferno, the match was super close. Once again, NiKo was getting some insane clutches to get G2 rounds. On the other hand, Astralis was pulling off smoke rushes with a UMP. Inferno was completely feral, which explains why the first half went 8-7 to Astralis and won 19-15 in overtime. Also, Astralis had the gameplan in mind, with one of the greatest fakes we’ve seen in a while on Inferno. Round 28 was certainly exciting.

How does this even happen?

The comeback

G2 is the only team to get sent down to the Lower Bracket and return to win a BLAST Premier Fall 2020 Group. The roster met MiBR’s new temporary roster after they succeeded in the Brazillian darby against FURIA.

The series was looking a little doom and gloom as G2 Esports was forced to contend overtime on Nuke. The G2 side managed the victory, even with the MiBR T-side getting 8 rounds to 7. The scary part was players like Vito “kNgV” Giuseppe pulled out a server high of 31 kills and 93.1 ADR. MIBR’s roster was looking great for a team that had only just reformed.

The narrative continued in the second map, as MIBR secured themselves the third map. Dust II went to overtime, with MiBR taking it 19-17. G2 started well with their players dominating on the T side of Dust II as expected. Potential bench candidate, Francois “AmaNEk” Delaunay even got on the top of the leaderboard with his 1.22 rating by the end of the map. Although, Alencar “trk” Rossato bodied everyone on the server with his 1.4 rating. The young Brazillian star came in when it mattered for his new teammates., ensuring big frags and stopping G2 getting to match point when they were rounds behind

trk coming in clutch

Although, the temporary Brazillian squad’s dreams were dashed as the roster found themselves falling out of the BLAST Premier Fall 2020 Group C. G2 Esports came out of nowhere on Train to destroy this tense series. Train was the decider, and G2 secured it 16-5, which is one of the biggest stomps throughout the Fall event. With the hype map win coming in at the right time, G2’s momentum was strong heading into the rematch with Astralis.

The rematch

G2 Esports was definitely prepared for the rematch against Astralis as they took the finals 2-0. Nuke and Dust II were the maps back in play, and they certainly took them in style. The first map on Dust II was good for G2, as they started the series off strong with a 16-11 win. The entirety of G2 put out a relatively equal contribution to the team, as they floated around the 1.13 – 1.19 rating area. The exceptions here are for Nemanja “nexa” Isaković, who played a more supportive role, and NiKo, who dragged out of his mind with 27 kills and 106.7 ADR.

G2 with the pistol rush to get their first Dust II round, which snowballed them rounds after.

G2 found Nuke a much easier experience compared to their last few runs. Astralis fell 16-13, thus ending the series. The likes of NiKo dominated the map with his 1.59 rating; the highest NiKo has had on G2 the entire event. No doubt this result had shaken Astralis, and the world will watch G2 much closely as the new roster is already dominating against top EU teams.

With the win, G2 Esports advance to the BLAST Premier Fall Finals. G2 Esports is one of the hottest teams heading to the event, and there’s no doubting why after this incredible showing her in the BLAST Premier Fall 2020 Group C.

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch. Image via the BLAST

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League of Legends

DAMWON Gaming Defeats G2 and Advances to Worlds 2020 Finals

DAMWON Gaming have defeated G2 Esports at the Worlds 2020 Semi-finals advancing to the final stage of the tournament. The win marks the first time since 2017 that LCK team has advanced to the Worlds finals. 

In a 3-1 victory, Damwon proved to many that they are the best team Korea has produced in many years. They viciously dismantled G2, with methodical play that saw them in the right place at the right time at every moment of the game.

The matchup started out badly for G2. In a definitive drubbing by Damwon, the European representatives couldn’t manage more than a token defence against the strongarm play of Damwon. The bot lane was the crucial part of this game, with the support picks being the make-or-break champions. G2 were clearly not ready for Leona, even picking it in the second game.

Game two seemed initially to be more of the same. But a huge swing of momentum at a crucial fight just before baron catapulted G2 into the lead. After one of the largest Baron buff plays of the tournament, G2 took the second game to prevent a 3-0

Yet in game three it was a devastating performance from Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu on Graves that punished G2 for even thinking they could rotate on the map. Despite some heroic attempts at team fighting, G2 came up short in this crucial game. Rasmus “Caps” Borregaard Winther and Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle in particular seemed out of sorts in this matchup. The pair would have previously been standouts in the event, but against Damwon looked to be suffering. 

Game four started off disastrously, with Caps being first-blooded and pushed out of lane. And front here, they went from bad to worse for G2. Cho “BeryL” Geon-hee’s braum roamed the map and ganked all lanes. The support player dominated his opponents, and before long it was 6-0. Then, in the shortest finish to a Worlds’ semi-final in history, Damwon pushed down the mid lane, deleted an inhibitor, and crushed G2’s hopes.

The loss perhaps marks the end of an era for G2, the greatest team ever fielded by Europe. For the past three World Championships, this team has made at least semi-finals. Along with Fnatic, they’ve been a constant face of their region on the international stage for almost four years. 

DAMWON Gaming, on the other hand, look unstoppable. There’s little to suggest that either Top Esports or Suning Gaming would have any chance against this incredible team. Worlds 2020 continues tomorrow with TES taking on Suning for a chance to face this dominant LCK squad.

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CS:GO

ESL One Cologne 2020 Europe – Who made it out?

ESL One Cologne 2020 Europe is now halfway through with the Group Stages concluding 26th August 2020. The event has had a long group sage, with two groups going through a losers bracket round for 16 teams. With the dust settled, only eight teams remain heading into the playoffs. Let’s take a look at the story so far.

Group A Upper Bracket

Despite ESL One Cologne 2020 Europe being online, the magic of the event still exists. In a twist of fate, Sprout was surprisingly the first team to make it out of Group A. They beat teams like BIG, and OG to make it out of the group in the Upper Bracket. In both situations, Sprout was definitely the underdog in those scenarios. They somehow manage to compete against the world number 1 in BIG really close, winning 16-12 on Mirage then 19-16 on Nuke. The OG series was much closer, beating OG 16-9 on Train, then losing 16-13 on Mirage before winning 16-3 on Nuke. This is exactly the magic events like these can bring out in teams.

Read More: BIG exit ESL One Cologne 2020 Europe in joint last place.

On the other hand, Complexity had a great showing. This is a team that has been growing ever more slowly throughout the year, and this Group is a sign of their success. They began the event with a swift 2-0 over MAD Lions winning Overpass 16-3 then going 22-20 on Nuke. Then the surprise came against Natus Vincere, were they won 16-9 on Dust II and 16-8 on Nuke.

blameF showing how good Complexity are in 2020

Group A Lower Bracket

Moving into the Lower Bracket, Ninjas in Pyjamas had a storyline to follow. They too managed to beat BIG in the first round of the Lower Bracket and Na’Vi in the second round of the Lower Bracket. The big series finished 2-1, and NiP had to play catch up for most of the series. BIG won the first map on Vertigo 16-5, so NiP gave it their all on Nuke to win 28-26. Finally, NiP won Mirage 16-7. But the real surprise came from Na’Vi. NiP beat Na’Vi on Overpass 16-9 followed by a thrashing on Train 16-3. Both of these results are quite surprising, considering the talent in Na’Vi. Either way, congrats to NiP for making it through a difficult Lower Bracket.

NiP had a stunning performance against Natus Vincere.

OG had a relatively short run in the Lower Bracket after only fighting through one round against MAD Lions. As expected, OG mad quick work of MAD Lions with 16-10 victory on Nuke and 16-9 on Dust II.

Group B Upper Bracket

Astralis has come into ESL Once Cologne 2020 Europe with an almost brand-new team. The roster has two stand-ins with Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen and Patrick “es3tag” Hansen temporarily standing in for sickness and leave. Considering the previous stand-in results for Astralis, these two players have put in work so far. Astralis dismantled Fnatic 16-5 on Nuke and 19-17 on Train. Moving on, they trashed Vitality 16-8 on Nuke and 16-7 on Dust II. Astralis has new life with their upcoming stars on their roster.

In the closest Upper Bracket Round yet, G2 Esports pulled through. G2 Esports warmup was against MiBR who they put to bed instantly. G2 won Vertigo 16-2 and Inferno 16-4. Their real challenge was against Heroic, which brought them to the edge. Heroic won Nuke 16-7, with G2 Esports winning Vertigo 16-7 and Mirage 19-17. Heroic was in the lead for the most part of Mirage but G2 pulled through (we think KennyS really wanted to watch the PSG Champions League Final match).

AmaNEK with the insane clutch to get G2 the round.

Group B Lower Bracket

The Group B Lower Bracket has the same level of excitement and disappointment as Group A. Heroic popped a NiP here by taking down Fnatic 2-0. Both Vertigo and Overpass went to Heroic 16-11. This is rather disappointing, especially with Fnatic being as good as they were at the start of the year.

Meanwhile, Vitality and FaZe had yet another amazing series against each other. Vitality managed to pull through 2-0 in the series, but the results were super close. Vitality won Dust II 19-16, and won Nuke 16-14. This is exactly the high stakes action we want from ESL Once Cologne 2020 Europe

Team Vitality had some great T side Nuke rounds.

With the Group Stages done, ESL One Cologne 2020 Europe continues with the playoffs. The remaining teams are competing in the playoffs from Thursday 27th August to championship Sunday on 30th August.

Stay tuned to Dartfrog for all the latest news and analysis on CS:GO and follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch. Image via ESL.