What does Jankos leaving G2 mean for the first blood king?

This week brought the news of accomplished jungler Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski departing the organization he’d been a part of for five years, so what does Jankos leaving G2 mean for him?

Rumors emerged earlier in October that Jankos and bot laner Victor “Flakked” Tortosa would be departing G2’s LEC team. The veteran jungler has recently confirmed these reports in a video he posted explaining his departure. So after half a decade on the same team, what does Jankos leaving G2 spell for both his and the organization’s future?

Why is Jankos leaving G2?

In his video officially announcing his impending departure from G2, Jankos took fans through the past year from his perspective. Jankos talks about how this year’s iteration of G2 debuted to low expectations but managed to capture an upset victory in the Spring Split, and how he considers the year a success. He also says that he believes that it makes sense for G2 to look for a new jungler.

Jankos articulates that after five years playing jungle for G2, if the results aren’t coming then both parties can benefit from new rosters being formed. Jankos has been a key part of G2’s competitive legacy in LEC, with his selfless style paired with an ability to carry when needed feeding into the superstars of G2’s lanes over the years. Jankos’ veteran experience makes him likely the highest-value free agent currently on the LEC market heading into 2023.

In the end, Jankos’ departure seems to have more to do with G2 trying to break the mold of its previous splits and find a new identity. For Jankos, it could very well mean a team built around the Polish jungler, given that most LEC teams would bend over backward to get their hands on talent of Jankos’ pedigree.

One thing that remains clear is that Jankos doesn’t seem to have any interest in bowing out of competitive play and plans to continue his spree of success in a new jersey. An experienced jungler with multiple titles, an MSI trophy, and an established brand is exactly what many of Europe’s premier organizations will be looking for heading into 2023.