This year's Champions — VALORANT’s annual world championship — will be held in Paris from Sep 12 to Oct 5. To build up to the event, Sheep Esports is presenting one of the 16 qualified teams every day ahead of the tournament. This Wednesday, the countdown continues with the introduction of G2 Esports, VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Americas’s 1st seed.

G2 Esports is coming off a strong 2024 season with two runner-up finishes in VCT and a third-place finish at Masters Shanghai. The only thing missing from their campaign was a title. Still, the year was a good one for the Samurai, who entered 2025 with just one change to their lineup—hoping it would provide the final piece they needed to claim glory.

Jacob "icy" Lange departed, replaced by none other than 2023 World Champion Alexander "jawgemo" Mor. For many, this move was a clear statement of intent: G2 wants to win it all in 2025.

A Historic Three-Peat in the Americas

G2 wasted no time proving those ambitions. They opened the year by winning the Kickoff tournament, securing their spot at the first international event of the year, Masters Bangkok. There, G2 came agonizingly close to lifting the trophy, falling 2–3 in the grand final against T1.

But G2 didn’t slow down. At VCT Americas Stage 1, they stormed through the group stage with a flawless 5–0 record. A surprise 1–2 loss to Sentinels in their opening playoff match forced them into the lower bracket, but the Samurai bounced back by knocking out 100 Thieves, Evil Geniuses, and MIBR before once again meeting Sentinels in the grand final. This time, G2 came out on top, taking revenge and claiming their second straight title of the year.

That victory secured them a spot at Masters Toronto, where G2 ultimately placed 4th, falling to Paper Rex and Fnatic. Returning home, the mission for Stage 2 was clear: complete the three-peat. But before the split began, disaster struck. Nathan "leaf" Orf, the team’s Sentinel, was sidelined due to health issues. To fill the void, G2 pulled Andrej "babybay" Francisty out of retirement and away from the casting desk, bringing him back to the server.

Despite the setback, G2 never missed a beat. They finished the group stage 4–1 and went on a dominant playoff run, defeating 100 Thieves, NRG, and Sentinels. leaf returned just in time for the Upper Final against Sentinels and the grand final against NRG, helping G2 close out both series 2–0 and 3–0 to secure the VCT Americas Stage 2 championship. With the three-peat in hand, G2 heads to Paris as one of the top contenders for the world title.

An Insane Map Pool?

G2’s case for the trophy is strengthened further by the Champions map pool. Across the year, they’ve posted positive—and in most cases dominant—win rates on nearly every map available in Paris. The only real blemish is Corrode, where G2 managed just a 25% win rate across four games.

G2 win rates on the Champions map pool:

The real question, however, is how representative these win rates actually are. G2 have been nothing short of dominant within North America all year, but several of their losses have come against teams from other regions. Champions will be the true test — a chance for the Samurai to measure themselves against the world and to show how strong they really are.

valyn, calling the shots

If there’s one decision the VALORANT scene is grateful for, it’s that Jacob "valyn" Batio chose a career in Riot’s FPS rather than American football. The In-Game Leader of G2 Esports has had an outstanding 2025, combining leadership with high-level individual performances to cement himself as one of the best players in the Americas.

valyn grew stronger as the year progressed, peaking during Stage 2, where he was simply unstoppable. He posted an ACS of 213.7, a K/D of 1.23 (2nd in the league), and a 76% KAST (5th best in the league, tied). He was even named MVP of the Stage 2 final, where G2 swept NRG 3–0 to secure the three-peat.

valyn’s 2025 averages:

G2's Controller will undoubtedly be one of the key players to watch at Champions 2025. But given how strong the rest of the Samurai roster has been this season, it’s safe to say any of them could shine in Paris.

G2 Esports roster heading into Champions 2025