New Venture: Game Changers Champion Juliano leaves Valorant to return to CSGO as captain of new G2 roster.
The Veteran Returns to the Stage
G2 has announced their latest project, an all-women CSGO roster named G2 Oya. The roster is set to be captained by returning Counter-Strike veteran Julia “Juliano” Kiran, who recently announced her retirement from Valorant and G2 Gozen. G2 Oya will also reunite “Juliano” with long-time duo Zainab “zAAz” Turkie. The two have been competing alongside one another since 2014 on the Bad Monkey Gaming roster.
“Juliano” will also be once more taking on the Counter-Strike mantle after nearly 2 years away. Her last stint was on XSET, which ended in September of 2021. She and “zAAz” have competed alongside one another for years and were two parts of the original G2 Gozen roster. Despite not being part of the roster during their Championship run in 2022, “zAAz” was still a part of the team’s celebrations when they won.
G2 Oya
G2 Oya will be comprised of the veteran elements of “Juliano” and “zAAz” alongside a trio of young talent: Anastasiya “kr4sy” Khlobystina, Oleksandra “manka” Kruspe, and Aleksandra “kyossa” Tychanska. According to HLTV, this will be the official debut for the three younglings, who will face Copenhagen Flames Female in their first match.
The roster will primarily compete in the ESL Impact Circuit, however, look to compete wherever else they can as well. The ESL Impact Circuit is a competitive league designated by ESL for women to compete at the highest level. It is part of the broader initiative for greater inclusivity of all genders in esports and is similar to Valorant Game Changers in the philosophy, however, the latter has made even larger strides.
Jimmy “Jumpy” Berndtsson is set to coach G2 Oya, with previous experience as the coach of Fnatic and North. G2 Gozen now suffer from the roster vacancy and the loss of their In-Game leader. The EMEA Game Changers series is set to begin in April 2023.
Legacy of Juliano
"Juliano" leaves behind in Valorant a stellar legacy on G2 Gozen, as the most dominant EMEA Game Changers roster, as well as the first International Champions for Game Changers in 2022. As the former In-Game Leader of the G2 Gozen roster as well, she nurtured a number of talents within the roster, including up and coming Bahranian star Maryam "Mary" Maher.
Image credit: G2 Esports/ Valorant Esports