Luka “Perkz” Perković’s debut in the LCS didn’t go exactly as planned. The mid laner didn’t live up to the hype as Cloud9 took a loss to Evil Geniuses in the opening round of the 2021 LCS Lock In.
First blood for @C9Perkz, but @EvilGeniuses respond with one kill of their own! #LCS pic.twitter.com/bPuDfJehHX
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) January 16, 2021
You can take the player out of G2 Esports, but you cannot take the G2 out of the player, and it showed with this series. Perkz wanted to take the opponent by surprise and drafted the first Yone of the season. Ideally, Perkz would take over the mid lane and roam to the side lanes but he didn’t anticipate that Daniele “Jiizuke” di Mauro could put up one hell of a fight.
Jiizuke managed to keep Perkz in lane, pushing hard and shadowing Perkz’s every move. With Perkz neutralized and the side lanes in a comfortable position, EG had everything it needed to start growing an advantage.
From a drafting point of view, C9 had every tool it could possibly want. C9 had multiple engage options that allowed the carries to reach the enemy backline. EG was more limited but made the most of the tools it had.
#LIVEEVIL! @EvilGeniuses take down @Cloud9! #LCS pic.twitter.com/Ezs2PXqy41
— LCS (@LCSOfficial) January 16, 2021
EG top laner Jeong “Impact” Eon-young ended up being the player of the game. Impact had a perfect understanding of the map and how to flank the opponents. Every time C9 thought it had the advantage, Impact would come out and turn things around. EG played a slow and methodical game that ended up being better than C9’s all-in strategy.
Perkz will have a chance to redeem himself on Saturday when C9 faces FlyQuest.
In the 2020 offseason, Perkz announced he would be parting ways with G2 Esports. Perkz and G2 both clarified that it has an amicable departure. According to G2 owner Carlos “Ocelote” RodrĂguez, Perkz wanted to go back to playing in the mid lane and a fresh start.
Perkz was born on September 30, 1998 in Croatia. He is 22 years old.
Details regarding Perkz’s buyout were not confirmed by either G2 Esports or Cloud9. Reports by Jacob Wolf suggested Cloud9 may have paid up to $5 million USD for the transfer fee for Perkz, and are paying him a seven-figure salary on top of that.
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