At the end of 2022 G2 Esports decided to finish one of the most important stages in the club’s history. The European organization dispensed with the services of Marcin Jankowski «jankos«, currently a Team Heretics player, after five years. In the last five years in Poland, he has established himself as one of the idols of the samurai and the best western jungler. To replace the European legend, G2 decided to opt for the services of Martin Sundelin «yike«, a jungler from LDLC OL who has become one of the sensations of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC).
Yike didn’t create as much buzz as other moves as G2 Esports bet on Steven Liv”Hans sama» and the return of Mihael Mehle «mikyx«. The jungler, who proudly boasts the Peruvian roots of his family, lived a key 2022 for his career and his arrival in the LEC. The Swede made his debut as a professional player in 2019, going through different clubs and leagues such as PG Nationals Italian, but the last year was her definitive qualitative leap to have the opportunity in the elite. be twice champion of La Ligue Francaise (LFL) propelled him as one of the rookies that he deserved the opportunity. At the moment he is showing it in the first weeks of competition with good performances.
However, Yike’s introduction into the European elite is building at a fast pace. A part of the community has added one more march to the expectations generated by the 22-year-old player after a few good weeks with G2 Esports. For a thickness of the followers -mostly international- the Swede has already gone from ‘project’ to reality, generating an immediacy absent in other rookies within other contexts. While it is true that the jungler is responding and statistically showing good numbers, his data is a consequence of the changes in G2’s playstyle.
The initial stretch of 2023 the European organization feeds on it to have constant pressure on its lines. The reason is simple: enable Yike to either live in the rival team’s jungle
The hype Existing with Yike is a consequence of the change in the jungle system of G2 Esports, an adaptation to the characteristics of the jungle. Jankos shone more putting his lines in front, while the Swede feels more comfortable playing the leading role as carry. The role of the Pole was focused on making his players shine lanes only, superior in Europe, so that they would lead the game. One of the clearest reflections of this style is in the ninth season, where G2 became very strong generating bounces in the waves so that the skirmishes were superior.
Nevertheless, now G2 Esports seeks that the lanes be the ones that generate superiority to give their jungle more comfort. For this, the red side remains the winning horse within the samurai.. In 2022 G2 was playing with the tool of the counter pick in order to have a greater capacity snowball through their lanes only. On the other hand, in the initial stretch of 2023 the European organization feeds on it to have constant pressure on its lines. The reason is simple: enable Yike to either live in the opposing team’s jungle or finish scratching all the kills that his teammates leave him on a silver platter.
This factor does not mean that Yike cannot play for his lines, quite the opposite. During his time in LDLC OL, the jungler showed his ability to set his teammates up. Selections like Xin Zhao, Wukong or Volibear are revealing of this. Simply G2 Esports has found a formula to win in the short term that involves protecting their rookies giving the thickness the resourcessomething he did not bet on in 2022 with Víctor Lirola «flakked«. While Jankos received in the past Spring Split 18.6% of the total gold, this season Sundelin has 23.5%. Picks like Bel’Veth or Kindred channel the character of stats.
Attention as the enemy of Yike
The great start of G2 Esports has raised Yike’s expectations even higher. With the data in hand, the jungler is signing a great debut in the LEC. But with the context accompanying the statistics, the jungler is protected by all his teammates, especially Mikyx. The Slovenian is the look that has just given the former LDLC OL player a complete overview. Support gives him all the information advantages with the necessary vision, a factor brought about by his dominance alongside Hans Sama. In the short term, the great start of the Swede is marked by the performance of his bottom lane, whose development during the rest of the year will determine whether the public is really facing one of the best bot lanes of the history of Europe.
The importance of the bottom lane of G2 Esports does not mean that Yike has debuted with good and improvable plays, something to be expected as he is a rookies. Along with the samurai there are other cases of debut in the same position as that of Zhou Yang-Bo «Bo“, Team Vitality player. His case is similar -not exact-: he has a plan molded around his jungle. Vitality features a bot lane that primarily plays the weakside role and a top that adapts to the team’s needs to play in relation to the jungle-mid duo. In any case, the French organization is not limited to ‘protecting’ its import, but rather seeks to exploit him as the main leader of the group. Both in the mechanical and in the communicative aspect.
«You can also praise a piece of work, although in a more serious way, because otherwise it looks beautiful and forceful, but in reality it is harmful and not very credible»
In the LEC there are also cases that are not succeeding in the short term, such as that of Doğukan Balcı «113» in Astralis. The Turk is playing a good role, smart through his pathings and with bot lane as a place to allocate resources. But 113’s debut is marred by the role of his lanes onlyThey don’t give you any protection. Neither generating mechanical superiority in skirmishes nor ensuring pressure when necessary. Neither Yike nor the other junglers mentioned have had a bad debut, but their contexts both inside and outside of Summoner’s Rift are weighing in on catapulting their expectations.
Daniel Caballero, editor of Fleek Magwrote about BBO that it seemed excessive to label as a classic, “the resurrection of rap” or “album of the time” the album by Hoke and Louis Amoeba. Although both artists had signed one of the best works of USAurban music in 2022, Caballero was forceful with the excessive assessment: “it is subjecting artists to pressure with absurd standards that must be exceeded when they release their next works, and second, because you can equally praise a piece of work, albeit in a more serious way, because otherwise it looks beautiful and forceful, but in reality it is harmful and not very credible». Yike is right now surrounded by a traced narrative, accelerated with too many gears.
Yike is by no means an exception within the volatility of valuations surrounding the LEC. A great example at the national level was Javier Prades «elyoya«, MAD Lions jungler, throughout 2021. Prades signed a great 11th season, running as one of the best players in his position. But in his first divided had not reached the degree of maturity that was attributed to him on the eve of the Mid-Season Invitational (M: YES). The following year, without that narrative, Elyoya radically improved and caught up where she was previously claimed to be. With time, only the acts of the G2 Esports jungler will determine his evolution and respective valuation of him. At the moment the Swede has a good start and a narrative that forces him to go create a seventh gear.