Perkz reportedly will be leaving G2 Esports as the team is fielding offers to find a new team for him.
Perkz has been one of the pillars of the European League of Legends in recent history. Being one of the superstars of the region, he has multiple domestic titles with Semifinals and Finals appearances under his belt. He was the player who brought G2 Esports on the map in League of Legends. However, the question is why does he want to leave. We answer all of that and more in this article to paint a picture of what we can expect with this reported rumor.
History of Perkz and G2 Esports
To understand the magnitude and ramification of such a move is best explained with the context in history between both Perkz and G2 Esports. Perkz joined G2 Esports (then known as Gamers2) in 2015 in the EU Challenger Series where they managed to secure a spot in the EULCS (now LEC) in 2016.
With Perkz in the mid lane, they won four domestic titles and multiple appearances at MSI and Worlds. 2018 was their most successful year with Perkz at the helm with a deep run into Worlds. In 2019, the landscape changed with the signing of another superstar EU midlaner in Caps while Perkz moves to ADC.
That propelled G2 to win two more domestic titles, an MSI win, and a berth to the Worlds 2019 Finals. However, that ended in despair with them losing 3-0 to Fun-Plus Phoenix. In 2020, to change things up they swapped Caps and Perkz in their respective lanes for the Spring split. That netted them another domestic title but with a few hiccups in the playoffs.
They eventually swapped back for the Summer split which got them first place again and the first seed at Worlds. They had a strong showing at Worlds especially Perkz and Mikyx. However, they lost badly to the eventual Champions DAMWON Gaming in the semifinals.
Perkz was the player who put G2 Esports on the map from a berth to the EULCS and then at the Worlds stage before Caps joined in. He was labelled as their franchise player for years until the disappointing loss at Worlds 2020 which will possibly change the landscape for both parties.
Why is there a Rumor about Perkz leaving?
To answer this question, there is some context to the reasoning behind it. Reportedly, Perkz wanted to move back to the mid lane but G2 has Caps in their roster. According to LEC Wooloo’s tweet, multiple sources have stated that Perkz will not play in G2 in 2021.
Then the reports started flooding in about Perkz potentially not being on G2’s roster. Pablo Suarez tweeted about the fact that G2 has been trying to shop him to all the LEC teams barring Fnatic. Misfits and Vitality talked extensively but nothing was confirmed.
On another front, Jacob Wolf posted on a series of tweets about the situation regarding Perkz. He has said that Perkz has a buyout clause of around 5 million dollars. Several team in the LCS are interested in getting him, particularly Cloud9.
From what can be said, Perkz wants to return to the mid lane and it seems G2 Esports would rather shop him than move him there. Now the question is can it happen.
Feasibility of the move
The clear issue is the buyout clause. In its current valuation of 5 million dollars, G2 will find it hard pressed to find a suitor. Judging from more reporting, C9 does not want to get Perkz with that kind of money and then offer Perkz a big contracts along with it. There is a lot of negotiation to be had.
There is also reporting that Perkz wanted to stay in the EU but given the nature of the buyout clause and G2’s inclination to not negotiate or talk with Fnatic that will seem really unlikely. Vitality and Misfits have inquired but neither team can afford the buyout clause.
Thus, all of the reporting and clues point to a move for Perkz to NA which Perkz really has no choice in given a team has to trigger his buyout clause for him to go to another team. C9 is at the forefront of it but expect the buyout value to come lower if it were to happen.
On the surface, based on the situation the negotiation is at, it’s unlikely a deal gets done. However, if G2 relaxed and gives him away to the best offer they get, it is very likely to happen. Either way, Perkz’s intentions are clear that he wants to play in the mid lane. Hence, it is in G2’s interest to sell him to another team.
Final Remarks
Regardless of how both parties separate, this will have yet another big impact on the LEC. They are set to lose a superstar to the LCS it would seem and the future of the LEC looks to be very young. It is a shame that a superstar of a region is going to be shipped out of the region simply because the team wants the highest bid.
We will bring in more updates on the situation as we get them and more about the offseason before November 16th when it officially begins. Stay tuned to the website for more info.
