G2 valyn: "We needed to lose to unleash the beasts in us"

G2 kept its VCT Americas playoff run alive after defeating FURIA on Saturday, August 29, overcoming a 9-3 deficit in the second map to close out the series. The victory came after G2 had previously lost to FURIA twice during the year.

In an exclusive interview with Sheep Esports, Jacob “valyn” Batio reflected on G2’s performance and the team’s search for consistency throughout Stage 2. The IGL also discussed his individual form, G2’s adaptation to the current meta, the roster’s resilience during difficult moments, and the upcoming matchup against LEVIATÁN, with a spot at Champions on the line.

Jacob “valyn” Batio: “Pretty calm now, I would say. After the win, there was a lot of hype and adrenaline. We lost to FURIA two times now, so actually closing it out on the third means a lot for me and the guys. We had it on the back of a 9-3 comeback, so it was amazing for sure. But now I think I'm just more chill and I'm focused on playing against LEVIATÁN.

valyn: I think for us it's trying to find the balance of playing to win and not being scared to make plays. But also, we have to be consistent enough to understand when the round is in our hands. I would say some of the early Haven rounds for us, we went into a blunder because maybe we were up 5-3 or maybe we knew what they were doing, and we always tell each other to play to win and go for the play when you have it. But sometimes we're overcooking it. For me on attack, I need to try not to overcook some calls. I think I was overcooking a little bit today on Sunset attack, which put us down 9-3. Just trying to keep it simple in the moments that are simple for us to try to be more consistent.

valyn: I feel like it's a bit inconsistent for me, honestly. I feel like some games or some maps, I feel like I'm playing well. I am making the plays that I have to make in order to win the game. I'm going for the winning plays when it's in my hand. I'm seeing the game clear. But there are also some maps that I feel like I'm not, so I would rate it maybe like 7 out of 10, 70% of what I can do. I think I have more in the tank. I just don't know how to unleash it because we've been practicing hard. We've been changing things when we have to. We've been implementing new maps when we have to. So, I want to unleash another 20% out there. I'm trying to figure it out. As an IGL, it's almost kind of the same thing. I feel like my IGLing is still a bit better, but there's still more room to improve and make sure that we don't have 9-3 halves on Sunset, our map pick, for example. I'm still trying to look for ways to improve and be better.

valyn: I think it changes the way we want to play on defense more. On attack, we still have our ways of playing fast and playing slow. We have a good mix of it all. But on defense, sometimes we lose to the fast-paced stuff. This meta is just harsher on defense for sure. Other than that, we're playing the game how we want, and there's no real problems with the meta and stuff.

valyn: I think our mentality. Even when we're losing, even when we're on our back, we never give up. We're always going to try to play at our best even when times are hard. And we always have that itch on our back to make a comeback. We always have that feeling that maybe we're losing, maybe we're not good right now. That's okay. But the feeling is even greater when you can bring it back, you know? And that's how we feel right now. We went through play-ins; we lost to FURIA in play-ins; we're in the lower bracket, and no one thinks we can do it. No one thinks that G2's going to make the final, win the final, make Champs, or whatever. But we use that to fuel us for sure. No matter how down bad we are, we're always looking for our next opportunity to prove it.

valyn: I think sometimes the expectations are of our own selves, actually. It's not really the expectations of other people or the public or whatever. It's more about when we assume that we're going to win. Sometimes we're not humble enough at the game. What I mean by that is we always work hard. We're not going to slack and not try or give 50%. We're always going to give 90% in practice, 100%. But what makes you a great team is giving the extra, the 110%. Sometimes when we win back-to-back stages or whatever, you always feel like, “Oh, we beat all these teams; we got this. Just do our jobs and we'll win.” Everyone's getting better. Everyone's getting better individually, as a team, and in everything. I personally think we needed to lose more. I think we needed to bomb out of London, bomb out of EWC, and lose games in Stage 2. I think we needed to lose to unleash the beasts in us, as cringe as it sounds, really. It's like we got to awaken ourselves to what we have to do here. I think recently we've been tapped into that a bit more, and we have a chip on our shoulder again because of how much we've been losing and how much people are counting us out. It definitely feels good. Every game is earned. Every game is an accomplishment. It's not like every game is, “Oh, G2's just expected to win,” whatever.

valyn: Honestly, LEV is a really good team. I know in their last match against 100 Thieves, they didn't look too hot. But to me, that game doesn't exist. That's not the LEV that I know. I think they're a great team. I'm expecting them to play really well. And it's a match that will qualify us for Champions. So, I'm expecting a high-pressure game. I'm expecting big plays out of everyone on my team, not big plays out of their team. Other than that, we're going to do the best to prepare and try to punch our ticket to Shanghai. I'm expecting a great LEV, but we've beaten them before, and I think we can do it again. But they are really good, and if you give them a hot start, sometimes they run away with it. We're going to have to be very sharp tomorrow.”