In League of Legends, G2 Esports is by far the best team outside of Asia. The organization is headquartered in Berlin: The team consists of the best players in Europe. One of them, the mid-laner and ADC Perkz, is now apparently set to be sold. The amount is said to be up to 5 million US dollars. Perkz is expected to move to Cloud 9.
Update 13.11.: G2 has reportedly reached an agreement with Cloud 9. Perkz is expected to play for the US club in 2021 and transition to the LCS. This has been verbally confirmed, according to Jacob Wolf (via twitter).
The deal will be announced on November 16, when transfers can officially take place. The current mid-laner of Cloud 9, Nisq, is expected to leave the team.
Original report from November 10:
Where does the rumor come from? It comes from Jacob Wolf of ESPN. This is “THE source of information” for transfers and contracts in League of Legends. He is quite reliable when reporting from his “sources”.
However, Wolf states: Currently, there are only talks about whether Perkz will be sold. Nothing is certain yet.
This is what the rumor says: Apparently, G2 and Perkz have sought talks with 6 LoL teams:
- Cloud 9
- Team Solo Mid
- Evil Geniuses
- 100 Thieves
- Team Vitality
- and Misfits
Apparently, G2 Esports is looking for a “buyout” of nearly 5 million US dollars. That is about 4.24 million €.
Wolf states: It is still unclear if anyone will accept this deal.
This is understandable: Because the buyout is huge. It is unusual for such high transfer fees to be paid in LoL.
Successor for Bjergsen or new partner of Zven
Which teams are in consideration? According to Wolf, the desired team is supposedly Cloud 9. There, Perkz would switch to the mid lane and form a strong duo alongside Zven in the bot lane. With Vulcan in the support role, they have another strong player on the team.
Zven originally came from G2 and played and won with Perkz in 2016 and 2017. Zven was considered a flop at one point but has rebounded remarkably in 2020. Until Cloud 9 then started to struggle and collapsed before the Worlds 2020.
Team Liquid lost their own star mid-laner Jensen in 2018. Currently, the Belgian Nisqy is playing in the mid lane. He is expected to be replaced by Perkz.
But Team Solo Mid would also be an interesting destination for Perkz: There, the Croatian would be the successor of Bjergsen in the mid lane, who recently retired.
At TSM, Perkz would play alongside Doublelift – an enticing idea. The two have previously streamed together and attempted a tower dive that went quite wrong.
The other 4 teams on the list are more like secondary teams in LoL, which Perkz could help to become relevant and competitive.
Perkz holds Record for EU Champion Titles
What makes Perkz special: The 22-year-old Croatian Luka “PerkZ” Perković is actually a trained mid-laner and has always been top-notch in that role. However, he could never surpass the strong Asians with G2 at international tournaments.
Therefore, Perkz switched to the bot lane in 2019 to make room for the Dane Caps at G2 Esports, who then went to the mid lane. G2 became a “super-team,” reaching the finals of the Worlds in 2019 and the semifinals in 2020. Europe finally became competitive and could keep up with the Chinese and Koreans.
Apparently, Perkz is now drawn back to the mid lane. In current LoL, the bot lane is not as influential as it used to be. In the Worlds 2020, the role of junglers proved crucial. The meta has shifted to “carry jungler.” However, the mid lane is still important and the most prestigious position in any LoL team.
What lies behind it: Perkz has been with G2 Esports for 5 years and has been the franchise player of the team. With 8 championship titles in Europe, he holds the record. He is considered incredibly ambitious and driven.
If he actually moves to the USA and achieves a selling price of 5 million $, it would likely be a new record deal. Currently, 1.5 million is considered the top transfer. That’s how much Cloud 9 reportedly spent on the support player Vulcan.
As a potential “replacement” for Perkz at G2 Esports, a German is considered: Elias “Upset” Lipp (20) could switch to G2, as he is regarded as the rising star in European LoL in recent years.
A move for Perkz to the USA would have a certain taste: In recent years, players have primarily moved to the USA to earn money.
The German coach of G2, Fabian “Grabbz” Lohmann, said last year: Anyone moving from EU to the USA gives up winning.
G2 has been together in its current form for 2 years and is considered a close-knit community and a favorite team for many fans. They have an incredible dynamic and harmony in team fights and strong personalities.
At the Worlds 2020, they had their strongest game in the quarterfinals. They not only beat the Koreans from Gen G but completely crushed them.
Europe wipes the floor with Korea – Upside Down World at the LoL Worlds 2020
