G2 Esports started the new Valorant Champions Tour season on the wrong foot and already suffered two defeats in the VCT Europe Closed Qualifiers. They lost 2-0 against Team Vitality, and then immediately got eliminated by Alliance in the lower bracket round 1. The year has just started and G2 is already in dire straits.
The rumors and leaks have started circulating, suggesting that Keloqz might be returning to the team to replace Mixwell. Keloqz was benched last year, on December 23rd, after the team failed to qualify for the Valorant Champions. This was finally confirmed by G2 Esports, who announced his return for the VCT Europe Open Qualifiers.
What’s Happening With G2?
Many players and fans have been making jokes at G2’s expense for quite a while now, saying how G2 Esports tends to get rid of players after a single bad tournament or a match. While that’s clearly hyperbole, one can’t help but wonder whether there’s some truth to that.
If we look at G2’s 2021 timeline and all the roster changes they’ve gone through, we’ll notice that there’s quite a few of them, probably more than in any other team in Valorant. What’s worse, is that oftentimes the players who end up being removed from G2 find more success in their next team.
This was the case with Davidp who found some great success in Giants Gaming for a while right after leaving G2 Esports. When they released zeek, he joined Acend and ended up becoming one of the best Valorant players in 2021 after Acend became the world champions.
At least in Keloqz’s case it seems like they realised that they might have made a mistake and are looking to fix it while it’s still not too late.
Why Was Keloqz Benched?
Keloqz’s departure from the main lineup came as quite a shock. He was one of the key players in the VCT Masters in Berlin and had a pretty strong performance. Keloqz and nukkye were a deadly duo that overpowered many, including Sentinels, who were still the top squad at the time. So the question is – what happened?
Well, there was a rumor that nukkye had issues with Keloqz, and that it was this specific reason why Keloqz got benched in the first place. While it wasn’t confirmed, it certainly sparked discussion among the G2 fans. Apparently nukkye commented on the stream that he was considering leaving if one of the players from G2 stayed. If we connect the dots, the story fits.
However, the rumors are still rumors and we can’t say for sure. But if all of this is actually true, then how will the atmosphere look in G2 and will the Keloqz x nukkye duo still work like it did before? We’ll see soon enough.
No Room for Mixwell
We now know that Mixwell is out and Keloqz is back. This entire development seems so bizarre and sudden. Mixwell was the team’s in-game leader, but he was definitely not the best Jett. And in this meta, you really want your team to have a strong Jett. This could have forced G2 Esports to reconsider their options and do the unthinkable – to bench Mixwell.
He's back!
Keloqz will re-join the team as the starting duelist for Monday’s VCT Open Qualifiers in replacement for Mixwell. pic.twitter.com/gHkJjky4VT
— G2 Esports (@G2esports) January 14, 2022
He was considered the face of G2 Valorant for all this time, so to see him warm the bench seems quite unreal. In both recent closed qualifier matches, Mixwell really didn’t make any significant impact on Jett. As an in-game leader, being aggressive on Jett and coordinating the team was probably really difficult, hence the underwhelming results.
We doubt he’ll be gone for good, and G2 will probably bring him back later in a more support-oriented role. We’re not sure who will lead G2 until that moment comes, but it could be nukkye.
We’ll see how this new lineup ends up performing. If Keloqz proves himself in the next few matches, he’ll be hailed as a hero and his stay will be almost certain. We’ll definitely keep track of the situation and keep you posted, so make sure to follow us for the best Valorant esports news.
