Undisciplined, lazy in practice, spending all day engrossed in other games, and not giving a “kilogram” of respect to their Coach… When reading these descriptions, many League of Legends fans would immediately think of an unmistakable name: G2 Esports.
“International circus” is the term that League of Legends fans around the world use to describe G2, as from any angle, this team seems to be a collection of… clowns. However, in the current context, as the Vietnamese League of Legends community is quite “headache” from a problem: the lack of professionalism among some VCS players, one might wonder: Why is it that, despite exhibiting similar behaviors, G2 is not hated or cold-shouldered? In fact, their “undisciplined” and “disrespectful to coaches” actions might make this team even more special?
First of all, it must be affirmed that issues such as not practicing, being obsessed with World of Warcraft, or disregarding coaches… of G2 players, so far, have only been demonstrated through social media comments from team members. There is no specific or clear evidence showing that these negatives exist within G2, even in the noisy transfer of Perkz to Cloud9. Therefore, right now, these stories can only be seen as some jokes from this circus.
But jokes must be made with “artistry”, and clearly, G2 Esports possesses all the elements that turn them into artists. Moreover, alongside their “playfulness” on social media, this team has also garnered many characteristics that help them earn affection from the public.
Attitude
No matter how much they banter with each other, G2 players have never been involved in any scandals related to toxicity or insulting other organizations and individuals. Their trash-talk brings “humorous” stories on social media, which are entirely a “content creation strategy” crafted by G2, with the consent of the “victims” (those being teased).
In terms of professionalism, aside from a few instances of quickly revealing scrim results, G2 members are always highly regarded by partners from LCK and LPL for their professionalism and credibility.
These reasons make G2 not only have a large fanbase but also receive much affection from fans of the teams they have previously collaborated with or faced.
Achievements
Besides 8 LEC championships and holding the title of “most successful team in European League of Legends”, the most important thing G2 has achieved is the MSI 2019 championship – a rare international title for Western League of Legends since the 2011 World Championship. That alone is enough for the name G2 Esports to become a hero in the eyes of every European League of Legends gamer.
Although they just got “crushed” in the Spring 2021 LEC Playoffs, G2 still has a chance to defend their title as they are only dropped to the lower bracket. In the past, with 4 consecutive championships from 2019 to now, clearly fans have no reason to criticize their players, as even while playing casually, G2 still dominates in the regional arena. It can be said that G2 is a typical example of the saying: “When you win, whatever you say is the truth.”
Of course, everything could be different if G2 loses the championship this season. Longtime League of Legends fans surely haven’t forgotten how harshly Perkz and G2 players were criticized when they continuously failed at MSI 2016 and the World Championship 2016, tournaments they entered as the reigning European champions but were eliminated right from the group stages.
Humility
As mentioned above, Perkz is the most complete reflection of G2’s early face: “Talented but arrogant and haughty”. They were discovered to have spent all their preparation time for MSI 2016… on vacation, and then suffered a devastating defeat in this tournament.
However, until now, no one remembers the ugly stories of this team in the past.
Perkz has also changed a lot after the humiliating defeats in regional and international arenas. The Caps transfer to G2 is considered a “nuclear bomb” in the world of League of Legends, not because G2 “snatched” the brightest star from their arch-rival Fnatic, but because a person with a huge ego like Perkz was willing to give up his mid-lane position for Caps.
“I only give up my position to two people, one is Faker, the other is Caps.” – Perkz’s words are still full of confidence and arrogance, but have lost some of the “boasting” part. And if there were a time machine, League of Legends fans from 2016 would probably faint upon seeing “Current Perkz” admit that there are players better than him.
The transformation of G2 in general and Perkz in particular is largely due to the humility spirit that Ocelote has imparted to the players. Coming from a “player” background, the G2 owner understands very well the severe consequences when the audience turns their backs on them. The fact that G2 has gradually transitioned from a team hated five years ago to an “international circus” that few dislike is a positive story and deserves to be a lesson for those involved in Vietnamese Esports.