We had a chance to witness the new G2 Valorant roster in action at the Sentinels Invitational this past Friday, and were not really impressed. Nathan “leaf” Orf joined the ranks two weeks ago, and is set to spearhead aggressive plays as G2’s primary duelist.

While all matches were close, the old Guard lineup still came short in most of their series.

Credit: G2 Esports

G2 VALORANT is a formidable roster with plenty to work on

G2 Esports secured a formidable lineup for the 2024 VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) Americas. The acquisition of leaf marked the culmination of G2’s roster revamp, a strategic endeavor initiated following Riot Games’ green light for The Guard’s players to entertain offers post their stint with the previous organization. G2’s CEO, Alban Dechelotte commented that 17 other esports entities were in battle to secure players from this coveted squad.

The duelist pool from VCT Americas alone was brimming with talent, including noteworthy names like jawgemo, aspas, yay, and Demon1. However, leaf emerged as the prime choice, thanks to his impressive tenure with Cloud9, marked by significant roster shifts, a spot at the international stage during Champions 2021, and near-misses that have undoubtedly fueled his competitive fire.

Yet at the Sentinels Invitational G2 still seemed disjointed, with high highs and very low lows.

G2 VALORANT played four matches in total at the event and only won one versus Ludwig’s new MxR roster. However, all of their matches were relatively close with marginal round differences and plenty of total rounds played.

There is plenty of things to be improved upon, especially in Attacking strats and retakes. There is ample time for this roster to gel together and perform. Hopefully their upcoming EU bootcamp will provide some boost to their performance.

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