Never Left: G2 Esports announces new pickups, former Sentinels dapr and ShahZaM.
After news in October that G2 Esports was still looking to compete in the Valorant pro space, a new announcement has surfaced that the prestigious organization has picked up former Sentinels’ players Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan and Michael “dapr” Gulino for their Valorant roster. The organization has also picked up former Dark Ratio Francis “OXY” Hoang, former Version1 Erik “penny” Penny, and Maxim “wippie” Shepelev.
Worst Kept Secret
In one of the best instances of a badly kept secret, the move for the former Sentinels’ players has been rumoured as early as weeks ago, with the pair seen streaming from an ‘unknown facility’ in EU last week. Added to the fact that both “ShahZaM” and Tyson “TenZ” Ngo nearly spilled the beans over the weekend, and the announcement comes as little surprise.
That said though, this is still one of the most highly anticipated moves for those following the Challengers scene in NA. G2 Esports now look to join other prestigious teams such as FaZe Clan, TSM, and The Guard in competition in January.
What is the Challengers League?
According to Riot, the Challengers League system is designed to encompass more than 20 leagues around the world, ‘ensuring every Valorant player has a path to realize their competitive dreams.’
Regions in play. Image Credit: Riot GamesThese leagues will ‘provide highly organized competitions,’ beginning with an open qualifier, following by a selection of the best teams based on performance in two splits of multi-week regular season play.
Challengers Split. Image credit: Riot GamesSeparate to that, 2023 will also include a new event series in each of the three main region: EMEA, AMERICAS, and PACIFIC, labelled Ascension tournaments. Winning such an event earns the organization a spot in the following year’s international league.
Path to Ascension. Image credit: Riot Games
Roles Determined
As confirmed by “ShahZaM” on stream, the roles have been determined on G2, with “ShahZaM” brought on as the IGL and initiator for the team. Teammate “dapr” has been brought on in his familiar role of sentinel. With recent buffs to his signature agent, Cypher, we have high expectations for more hijinks from one previously touted as the best Cypher in NA.
Rookie “OXY” will see his debut in the higher echelons of competition, playing as primary duelist for the team. He previously played in Tier 2 Valorant, competing mostly against Academy teams and lower ranked opposition. “penny” and “wippie” see a return to competing as well in the off-season. The fate of Version1 has been spotty in 2022, with teammate Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro leaving the team and then returning 3 months later. Version1 has primarily been competing in Tier 2 events since the departure of their IGL Anthony “vanity” Malaspina in late 2021. "penny" will take on the flex and secondary duelist role while "wippie" assumes the Controller role.
With Version1 having been kept relatively quiet in 2022, their return to the top is a refreshing change.
G2 roster will now look as such:
- Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan
- Michael “dapr” Gulino
- Francis “OXY” Hoang
- Erik “penny” Penny
- Maxim “wippie” Shepelev
Image credit: G2 Esports