G2 Esports has found their firepower with the addition of leaf. The ex-Cloud9 player will slot into the Duelist role as G2’s fifth.
The controversy that was The Guard losing their Ascension spot is long over. Four of the team's stars and their coach all signed with G2 Esports. That gave them the VCT Americas partnership spot they earned. But they still needed a fifth. Enter Cloud9's former superstar Duelist, Nathan "leaf" Orf. G2 has officially brought leaf on board.
G2 VALORANT brings on leaf as the final roster member for the 2024 VCT
At just 19 years of age, leaf has been a standout VALORANT player for the majority of the game's life. He joined Cloud9 at the start of 2021 and was a mainstay on the team until this most recent 2023 OFF//SEASON.
Unfortunately, he departed alongside many other members of the core roster that showed plenty of promise through the regular VCT Americas season. They fell short when it mattered, however, causing their coach to not mince his words regarding the outcome.
The end result does not take away from the talent that was on that Cloud9 roster. This is especially true for leaf. The Duelist player, which G2 desperately needed after Ian "tex" Botsch took his skills to Leviatán, is one of the best in the world.
It has been stated time and time again that leaf simply has a mind for VALORANT. He frequently watches matches, has given input into play calling, and has outsmarted some of the top VALORANT players in the world.
G2 hopes that leaf is the missing piece that The Guard's former roster needs in order to succeed. On paper, they look terrifying to anyone that loads into the server against them. We'll have to wait and see how they perform in their OFF//SEASON tournaments and eventually VCT Americas to see if that rings true.
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