LoL: G2 Hel crowned champions of the Nova Series Prélude

G2 Hel delivered nothing short of absolute domination in the Nova Series: Prélude, storming through the month with a staggering 14–1 record — a run blemished only by a single lost nexus to Eterna during the qualification phase, the very same squad that toppled them back at the inaugural League of Legends Game Changers: Rising in Paris.

Capping off their campaign with a clean 3–0 sweep over SK Gaming Avarosa in the grand finals, G2 Hel now enter the offseason after having achieved a near immaculate record in 2025. Now the question remains: what future awaits the organization amidst multiple potential departures?

Announced late on October 22nd, the Nova Series came as a surprise to many — but still a welcome one. In a scene long burdened by a lack of investment and stability, women and marginalized-gender players have struggled to secure their place within an ecosystem dominated by men and often marred by prejudice and discrimination. With that context in mind, the arrival of a new, structured competition was met with overall enthusiasm, especially given the scarcity of stable tournaments in recent years. The announcement also came with clear long-term ambitions. As Riot Marco explained, the Nova Series was designed from the get-go as a lasting competition, meant to fill the gap left by the disappearance of the Coupe des Étoiles following the introduction of the LoL Game Changers.

Despite the mostly positive reception, the tournament also faced some criticism. According to sources close to Sheep Esports, one early point of contention was the decision not to use Fearless Draft for the Nova Series: Prélude. Internally, this was justified with the reasoning that “given the time needed to put teams together, [the inclusion of Fearless Draft] could have prevented some teams from participating. However, this is something we will discuss for next year.”

The second major criticism focused on the tournament’s scheduling, which ran from November 8th to December 5th — an issue reminiscent of the one that affected the EMEA Masters Summer edition in October. As former Solary Project Lead Julie noted on X: “This is cool for the scene, but the date? Most contracts end in November, which is right in the middle of the offseason. Why not hold the competition sometime between January and March instead?” As a result, multiple notable figures in the scene were absent for various reasons, including school or work commitments, pre-planned vacations, or expired contracts, as highlighted in her post. Fortunately, much of this was mitigated by ZQSD Production, the tournament organizers, who shared the competition schedule about a month in advance with key scene players. This communication allowed some teams to renegotiate their rosters to ensure participation.

Nonetheless, the Nova Series concluded on a relatively positive note, capped by a live final in Paris. While the prestige of winning this inaugural edition was somewhat diminished by the challenges surrounding the competition, many of these issues were arguably inevitable given the constraints imposed by its late announcement. If the tournament builds on the feedback from its first edition and further professionalizes — notably by introducing an official broadcast and reducing its heavy reliance on content creators — the Nova Series has the potential to become a very promising fixture in the scene’s competitive landscape.

“GGs to everyone at G2, they were the stronger team — honestly the only one in the women’s and non-binary scene that was consistently good all year, not just for a single day or patch,” were the closing words chosen by Joshua "Jarge" Smith, head coach of SK Avarosa, after losing 0-3 in the Nova Series finals.

While, the comment sparked controversy — particularly given the successes of Solary Academy and Eterna during the season — the coach's statement remains largely indicative of how one-sided this final was, and G2's consistency throughout the season. Solary toplaner Evie "Pivotless" Pullen jokingly fired back: “We joked a lot this year about how every time we won, it would always be because the enemy team was having a bad day, and people would still say we’re the worse team. I guess we were right the whole time.”

A major challenge now awaits G2 Esports as the offseason approaches. Last month, it was announced that Maya "Caltys" Henckel, one of the most accomplished players in the women’s scene, will switch from botlane to midlane in 2026 — a change that has been under discussion for over a year, as the Swedish player was at one point considered a potential option to fill G2 Hel's midlane spot in 2025. This move could mark Caltys’ departure from the organization, ending the scene's most stable botlane duo, as she had played alongside Ève "Colomblbl" Monvoisin for over three and a half years. On X, the support reflected: “It feels so strange to think that I won't be playing with Caltys anymore,” before jokingly adding, “Being with me that many years traumatized her to the point she is lane swapping.”

In addition to this change, Marta "Shiina" Mesas Garrido, Rym "rym" Salloum, and Colomblbl have all publicly announced that they’ve been allowed to explore options ahead of the 2026 season, though this does not necessarily mean they will depart from the organization. Related to this, according to sources, French support Colomblbl has already begun participating in tryouts within the mixed scene. This follows her earlier announcement expressing a desire to compete on a mixed team — something she came close to last year when she took part in Karmine Corp Blue Stars' tryouts for the LFL 2nd Division.

Reflecting on the potential rebuilding, midlaner Rym shared a heartfelt message: “Won the Nova Series 3-0, and although I should be feeling happy, I couldn't stop thinking about how these were our last games together, even in the middle of the games. I can’t not be sad. I loved all of my teammates, and we spent so much time together this year — I considered them my second family. They were all lovable, talented, and funny (very funny). Even now, as I'm writing this, I am wishing this day had never ended.”

It remains too early to say what lies ahead for G2 Hel, though the team will likely undergo multiple changes heading into 2026. One thing is certain: this roster will go down as one of the most successful women-only teams in League of Legends history, particularly for their standout performances in the Liga Nexo earlier this year.