G2 completes Valorant roster with former Fortnite pro Zeek
G2 Esports has finally rounded out its Valorant roster with the addition of former Fortnite professional Aleksander “zeek” Zygmunt.
The organization announced the signing of its fifth player ahead of the Champions Tour, Valorant’s biggest event of 2021. Unlike other retired Counter-Strike: Global Offensive veterans on G2’s Valorant squad, zeek has a decorated background in Fortnite.
HE’S UNREAL ????
Welcome @G2zeek! pic.twitter.com/tHgKL63rn7
— G2 Esports (@G2esports) January 18, 2021
The 19-year-old has a rich account on the European side of Fornite, where he represented AGO Esports. He quickly caught up on Riot’s first-person shooter as he entered the competitive scene when the game was in closed beta. After a brief stint in a Polish squad dubbed as Those Guys, zeek joined European team noplenki.
The Polish player started to make headlines when noplenki entered First Strike after beating some big teams in the qualifiers. However, the roster lost its edge in the quarterfinals against FunPlus Phoenix, a high-tier team in the Valorant competitive scene. A disappointing run at First Strike resulted in noplenki’s disbanding as zeek entered free agency.
While Valorant’s top teams are studded with CSGO veterans, Fortnite players have been making moves as well. zeek’s switch from battle royale to the FPS will allow him to compete in a more active esports ecosystem.
G2 adds a fifth player in place of Davidp
G2 finds zeek to replace its earlier star player David “Davidp” Prins, who was removed from the squad after a subpar performance in Valorant: First Strike. The European team entered the budding Valorant esports scene when a plethora of other organizations were experimenting with rosters. G2 emerged as an absolute powerhouse, finishing first at every tournament they participated in. After a winning spree at Allied Esports Odyssey, BLAST invitational, and Vitality European Open, the team had earned itself the title of the unbeatable. However, Team Heretics ended that streak by pouncing on G2 in First Strike’s European Finals.
The first loss saw the team bid farewell to Davidp, as the team was on a lookout for someone who can bring leadership to the roster. Heading into 2021, the organization aims for complex changes to bring the side back to the fore.
Apart from zeek, G2 has also appointed a new coach in Neil “nEiLZiNHo” Finlay in place of Michael “Mikes“ Hockom, whose trial expired last year. The team is set to enter Valorant Champions Tour with these two new additions. Despite limited experience in FPS, zeek could be the darkhorse to surprise the skeptics. His highlights testify that he could be G2’s trump card in its upcoming matches. However, the Sova main would have to work with another agent as G2’s Ardis “ardiis” Svarenieks likes to operate with the Russian initiator in the current roster.
It’d be interesting to see whether G2 manages to replicate its successful 2020 spell with a fresh player.