Sources: G2 Hel return with revamped line-up

G2 Hel is back and ready to compete in the upcoming 2026 League of Legends Game Changers circuit. According to Sheep Esports sources, the team has secured a revamped lineup, coaching staff, and renewed funding to continue the project. The historic European organization had initially taken a step back in December, pausing its efforts in the women’s scene due to a lack of sponsors and the inability to properly sustain the program.

Now, with fresh resources to invest, G2 Hel has wasted no time rebuilding its core. At the helm, Adam “Emtest” Emtestam returns as head coach, alongside jungler and newly roleswapped midlaner Maya “Caltys” Henckel—two emblematic players who have long been part of ’s system. Rounding out the roster are three new additions: former Galions Pearl toplaner Alice “Wiosna” Mossé, support Gina “Lumi” Kircher, and, most notably, AD carry Isabella “Izzeeri,” a Nova Series semifinalist and rising talent with less than a year of competitive experience. Alongside the core lineup, the team is also exploring options for an assistant coach, a position for which the organization is currently in negotiations with Nicolai-Daniel "Chrislai" Uwadia.

From a gut-punching pause in December to a return in Q2 2026, the past few months have been a rollercoaster for the G2 Hel project. Despite fielding one of the most decorated and successful women’s initiatives in global LoL esports, the organization had already warned its players back in October 2025, per sources, that the project could be halted if new funding wasn’t secured.

In the months that followed, G2 Hel remained dormant while its parent organization explored options to relaunch the program. Then, like a faint flicker in the dark, signs of life began to emerge shortly after N.E.O. acquired the rights to run the 2026 and 2027 LGC. In mid-March, Sheep Esports learned that coach Emtest had left Mental Rush—just weeks after joining—after receiving an offer from his former team that he couldn’t turn down.

Around that time, G2 Hel quietly began hosting tryouts and scouting new players. Sources close to the organization indicated to Sheep Esports that sponsorship negotiations were still ongoing, prompting the team to keep a low profile as it worked to finalize its plans.

By early April, Emtest had already assembled a full roster, with all five players reportedly agreeing to join under verbal terms. Since then, Sheep Esports has confirmed through its sources that formal offers have now been extended, paving the way for G2 Hel’s return ahead of the 2026 women’s competitive season.

Unlike other projects that can take months to come together through long, excruciating processes, G2 Hel was relatively quick to assemble its new lineup. From the outset, the team moved swiftly to secure both its former jungler Shiina and Caltys, who had opted to roleswap to midlane at the conclusion of the 2025 season.

The former has since had a short stint in the LFL with Yumeea and competed in Spain’s lower circuits with Valkiria’s Vikings in a mixed environment, all while remaining unsigned to a larger organization. The latter, meanwhile, stayed on as a content creator under G2 during Hel’s absence and bootcamped in South Korea at the BNK FEARX Bootcamp, reaching Grandmaster in just two weeks and peaking at 1028 LP.

Alongside them, G2 Hel also briefly explored the possibility of welcoming back support , but ultimately opted to move forward with Lumi instead. The French support went on to compete with Once Upon A Team in the Road of Legends, the EM-qualifying Benelux league.

Originally a Lux one-trick, Lumi rose to prominence in 2023 with Berlin International Gaming. Since then, she has found mostly middle-of-the-pack results with SK and Galions, while remaining a strong individual performer, and has spent the past two years competing in the Prime League 2nd Division with TeamOrangeGaming and Babos Gaming.

In addition, the team made the decision to bring in Wiosna, the former toplaner of the now-defunct Galions Pearl. While the signing is easy to justify from a competitive standpoint—given that the French player has remained one of the most dominant in her role in recent years—it may raise some eyebrows.

This comes after a brief controversy around comments made on stream last year, which led to her departure from her previous team before the end of the season, a situation that was met with mixed reactions at the time and that Wiosna has since addressed.

Lastly, perhaps the most surprising choice on this roster was also the final role to be locked in. At just 20 years old, and with barely half a year of experience, Izzeeri steps in as G2 Hel’s new AD Carry, following in Caltys’ footsteps.

Last year, the British player made her debut in the Equal Esports Cup with Supernova Comets, joining at the last minute amid roster disputes and still managing a 5–5 record, narrowly missing playoffs without prior practice. She later teamed up with Wiosna on the hastily formed Gwen.G lineup, eliminating Vitality Rising Bees from the Nova Series and reaching the semifinals.

Though dates have yet to be announced, competitions in the women’s scene are set to pick up by Summer at the latest. Per Sheep Esports sources, the Equal Esports Cup was expected to be return first in May, though new information suggests the tournament may come later than originally expected. Alongside it, the League of Legends Game Changers is also expected to resume soon, featuring a new expanded, months-long format, though exact dates have not yet been communicated. Lastly, the Nova Series has also been confirmed to return, albeit later in the year during the second half of 2026.

While teams are still forming ahead of these competitions, G2 Hel are already guaranteed the chance to face several of their former members. Toplaner Mina "Zeniv" now plays for Mental Rush alongside former G2 Hel jungler Agnė "Karina" Ivaškevičiūtė and midlaner Manon "Sha" Legaignoux, while Rym "rym" Salloum has moved to compete under Vitality’s banner.