In a rollercoaster of a match against the Pacific's second seed, G2 Esports emerged victorious at the 2025 VALORANT Masters Toronto, climbing further through the lower bracket to face off against Fnatic in a few days. Having been on the brink of elimination, the American representatives now stand as the sole representatives of their region, hoping to improve upon their second-place finish at Masters Bangkok earlier this year. In an exclusive interview, Jonah "JonahP" Pulice sits down with Sheep Esports to discuss this historic victory, his family's support, and G2’s ultimate goal.

How does it feel to beat Gen.G and pull off such an incredible comeback on Icebox in map three?

Jonah "JonahP" Pulice: "Honestly, it feels amazing. I don't want to sound cocky, but we've felt this before—like in Shanghai against Heretics or in VCT Americas with all those comebacks. Personally, I wish it didn't have to come to this. I’d rather be on the 11–4 side of things and just close it out.

What was the thought process behind picking Tejo on Lotus, especially against a strong Gen.G who also plays that agent well?

JonahP: When we played Lotus recently, we came up with a new comp: Neon, Sova, Breach, Viper, Omen. We lost to Paper Rex with that comp. Then last night, valyn (Jacob Batio) was just chilling and came up with an idea. He brought it to the table, and instantly we were all on board, because something just didn’t feel right in our game against Paper Rex. He was like, “You know, I have an idea. If we want to win this event, we’ve got to take some risks.”

So we went into our practice room—probably around 8 p.m.—made the decision, and then hopped into the server. We were in there until midnight, probably four hours, just talking about the comp. It’s something we’ve played before, but it’s not meta right now. But we had some theory and some ideas on how to make it work. And that’s what we did.

You talked about changing the narrative. After Gen.G beat you in Shanghai, today felt like revenge. Do you think you're now on the right path to achieve your dream and make up for what happened in Bangkok as well?

JonahP: Yeah, we have everything it takes to achieve that. We play super well in the lower bracket. We have the home crowd advantage—the energy here is unreal. The things we were able to do in Bangkok and Shanghai, even though we fell short, we gained so much experience from those events. Honestly, we have everything we need to win. So, it’s going to be a complete failure if we lose now—a disappointment. We're not even thinking about that. We’re already thinking about the finals.

What would it mean for you to win the trophy here in Toronto, especially with it being your home?

JonahP: It would mean everything to me. But this match especially was very important because—well, some of my family, everyone except my dad, had to go back to Montréal to check on their pets, their cats. So if we lost today, they wouldn’t be able to come back. But since we won, I get to see them again for the next match against Fnatic.

Honestly, winning today and that comeback is very special to me. I don’t really have many words—I'm just so happy for my teammates. Everyone had each other's back today. We always believed. At 4–11, JoshRT (Josh Lee) was saying we're gonna win. There was no tilting, no one was sad. Maybe some of us were a little depressed—being down 4–11, who wouldn’t be? And it's just Icebox, you know? Fnatic did it against LOUD at 3–11, and now we did it against Gen.G at 4–11.

Would you say your family and loved ones are your main motivation to keep pushing? Do you feel like you’re fighting for them as well?

JonahP: Oh yeah, every day. My girlfriend and dad are here. I’m missing my two brothers and my brother’s girlfriend, who I’ve known for nine years—she’s basically 100% family. They always watch my games. My girlfriend’s very supportive and knowledgeable about the game. She always gives me a little pep talk before each game. I’m just on my phone, and she sends me all these texts like, “They play like this, don’t be scared, don’t take your knife out,” all these little reminders—which I love her for. It’s always the fire I need to keep going. I probably wouldn’t have the mental resilience to make these comebacks if I wasn’t doing it for my family.

It felt like Haven was in your control at first, but some decisions—like playing too conservatively or ecoing after winning—seemed off. Do you think stress affected the team’s performance there?

JonahP: Yeah, definitely that—what you said. Basically, we were min-maxing and playing a little too scared. And on top of playing scared, we were playing very fast. Like, we were playing fast and then playing scared. If you're gonna play fast, you’ve got to be aggressive. You’ve got to be cocky. You can’t be afraid—you can’t play scared the whole time, you know? We started to feel it slip. Haven’s a map where, if it starts slipping, it can feel like you’re running into a brick wall—especially against their comp. It definitely sucks losing a map that’s in your control.

Still, we know that when we play against Gen.G, they’re a very emotional team. So as long as we get control of the game again, we know their emotions will get to them—and the pressure will too. And we’re the complete opposite. That’s what we’re known for—we balance our emotions and stay calm. As soon as we won three rounds in a row on Icebox, got it to 11–7, we knew it was over.

During that huge comeback, especially before you won those key three rounds in a row, what was going on in the comms?

JonahP: Gen.G timed out at around 11–7 or 11–8. We were just talking about what was happening in the game—what we saw and what we could do. But mainly, it was just: keep putting the pressure on them. We knew they would crumble eventually, as long as we kept up the pressure.

Like I said, on Haven we tried that, but then we started playing scared and more conservative, like you mentioned. So the idea was full pressure—just full pressure—until post-plant. That’s where we play conservative, get our micro comms up, play together, and make sure we’re not going for too many hero plays. If we were able to maintain that—and we did—then we win. If we didn’t, we would’ve lost.

Was that aggressive approach a conscious decision based on Gen.G’s recent habit of throwing maps here in Toronto?

JonahP: No, not really a decision based on them. It was more a decision based on us—because we have a lot of different playstyles, but sometimes we just can't make up our mind. We need to be decisive. When we lose games or series—or end up down 11–4—it’s because we’re not being decisive and we’re hesitating. That was our main focus for the rest of the game: closing it out. Once we get that rolling, we should be fine.

You've won back-to-back Americas titles, placed second in Bangkok, and now you're guaranteed at least a top-four finish in Toronto. Do you believe this G2 roster is the one that can make history—not just for the Americas, but for yourself as well?

JonahP: Yeah, this is the roster to win it all. Nobody remembers second or third place. We want to be remembered as the Ascension Tier 2 team that came into this league, took it by storm, became the first team to make Champions, the first Ascension team to win a Masters. We were so close—that’s what I want us to be remembered for. This is the team to do it.

Speaking of Champions, you're the first team to qualify for Paris. How does it feel knowing your ticket is already booked?

JonahP: It feels good. We knew before going into the match against XLG that if we won, we’d make it. But after the game, everybody forgot—we were just celebrating the win. Nobody cared about that. No one’s thinking that far ahead yet; we’re just focused on this event. But when you actually sit down and think about it—being the first team—it’s kind of cool. It means we’re running this shit, and it just feels great. So I’m excited.

Is there anything you want to say to G2 fans?

JonahP: G2 fans, it’s a great time to be our fan. We see every single person on Twitter. We love you very much. Don’t forget to like our song on Spotify and buy our bundle."

Header Photo Credit: Stefan Wisnoski/Riot Games