A new format is coming to
VALORANT competitive scene, along with an offseason that is already forcing most clubs to revise their plans for the 2027 season, even before Champions Shanghai gets underway. G2 Esports and Leviatán player Eduardo "
Sato" Nagahama have the intention to join forces for the 2027 season once the off-season window opens. The Brazilian Duelist who would replace Andrej "
babybay" Francisty. G2 are also exploring options for the 5th spot, although Alexander "
jawgemo" Mor is not completely out of the project.
Two different tempos
This information comes ahead of
VALORANT Champions Shanghai, scheduled to take place in China from October 24 to November 18, the final tournament of the season. G2 Esports qualified for the event as the fourth seed from the Americas region. G2's international campaign began in 2026 with a second-place finish at Americas Kickoff, earning the European organization, despite competing in North America on
VALORANT, a spot at Masters Santiago. The team eventually finished just outside the podium after losing to Paper Rex in the lower bracket. Back in regional play, G2 went on to claim the Stage 1 title, notably defeating Leviatán in the grand final.
That result also sent LEV to Masters London, marking the Argentine organization's return to international competition after a trophyless and eventless 2025 season. The qualification also put Leviatán in a strong position to reach Champions, following a mid-table finish at Kickoff.
G2 could not replicate its Santiago momentum in London, however, exiting the tournament after two consecutive defeats against Xi Lai Gaming and FUT Esports. Such early exits are relatively common for top-seeded teams at Masters, with several No. 1 seeds struggling to find their footing in the tournament. Leviatán experienced the opposite trajectory, securing a 2-0 qualification from the group stage after defeating Global Esports and NRG before falling to Paper Rex in the quarterfinals.
The setback would prove temporary for LEV, as the team mounted a complete lower-bracket run through the playoffs. Leviatán defeated Team Heretics, XLG, Team Vitality, and finally EDward Gaming to reach the grand final, where it met PRX, one of the Pacific region's powerhouses. Against the Singaporean organization, Leviatán found itself on the brink at 1-2 before winning the next two maps to complete the comeback and claim the title. The victory marked the organization's first LAN appearance since Champions 2024.
A question of roles
That success would ultimately be short-lived for LEV and sato, however, as the team once again finished in the middle of the pack during Stage 2, placing fifth-sixth, and seeing its hopes of reaching VALORANT Champions Shanghai disappear. G2 Esports also ended Stage 2 just outside the podium in fourth place, with both teams ultimately relying on the season-long points system to determine their Champions qualification.
The system awards an increasing number of points as the competitive season progresses. Thanks to its strong results earlier in the year and its consistency among the top four teams in the region, G2 secured the fourth and final spot for China alongside NRG. Both teams finished on 21 points, while LEV ended in fifth and became the first team outside the qualification spots with 19.
As previously mentioned at the start of the article, this change is expected to take place once the offseason opens, at a time when Riot Games is already reshaping the
VALORANT Champions Tour with several major changes to its competitive circuit. Among them are the near-complete opening of the circuit and a “reset” of partnered organizations across all regions. Neither Leviatán nor G2 Esports is currently guaranteed a partner slot for the 2027 and 2028
VCT Americas seasons, yet that uncertainty does not appear to be stopping G2 from preparing for the next chapter while its players are still set to compete at the World Championship.
The reported move would therefore be a direct replacement, with Brazilian Duelist Sato joining G2 in place of American Duelist/Sentinel babybay, which coincides with the 5th spot being still open for the North American organization. It should be noted that, according to the
Global Contract Database, babybay has a contract in effect through the end of 2027, while Nathan "
leaf" Orf and Trent "
trent" Cairns have contracts that run through 2028.
