Hans Sama signs with G2 Esports despite ongoing lawsuit with French esports agency

It’s been a tumultuous last few years for G2 Esports in the LEC. Their founder and CEO, Carlos
”Ocelote” Rodriguez is gone. So is most of their 2019 roster that won MSI. Mikyx is coming back, but with Jankos leaving, Caps is the only one who stayed put. The addition of Hans Sama keeps them relevant but can they contend?

G2 Esports roster for the 2023 season

Mid laner, Rasmus “Caps” Winther, is the only remaining piece from the peak G2 days. A lot has transpired over these last two years. The bot lane especially has been a revolving door. Management finally should be less intrusive with Carlos being ousted. But can they contend is the question. During the 2022 offseason, G2 decided it was time to move on from veteran Jankos. He went out more favorably when compared to the treatment Rekkles received. He also ended up in a much better situation.  Jankos is getting replaced by a Swedish phenomenon known as Yike, a promising talent in the jungle role. According to reports, G2 tried paying a $850 000 buyout to the MAD Lions for jungler Elyoya, but the Madrid-based team wanted a million.

With the return of proven veterans and an influx of young talent in the jungle role, G2 look poised to stir up competition. Incumbent top laner Brokenblade agreed to extend his contract during the 2022 season, ensuring G2 stability in that role. The 2023 edition of their bot lane will feature some familiar faces. After a disastrous year by his standards, Hans Sama is returning to the LEC. Slotting alongside him in the support role will be former G2 player Mikyx. Despite being just 24 years old, this is Miky’s ninth season playing competitively. He previously played 3 seasons with G2, before spending the 2022 season with Excel. 

Hans Sama joins G2 Esports

At the end of the day, Hans Sama is finally a G2 member. We heard rumblings about this potential move back in 2021. But according to Thorin and MonteCristo, Rogue didn’t want their best player going to a direct LEC rival. This left the LCS as the only real destination for Hans Sama in 2021. Now after an unfulfilling year on Team Liquid, he is back in the LEC. The 2022 campaign must have been the most difficult season of Hans Sama’s career, considering the results. Hans Sama left Europe as the best bot laner on the continent. He had been a stable force and an elite carry for Rogue for 2 years. Since their inception in the LEC, he had been their most consistent and reliable performer. But those Rogue rosters carried a huge burden. 

Nobody gave them enough credit for catapulting amongst Europe’s elite. But everyone was quick to shower them with the ”Chogue” title and label them as chokers. When in fact it was just the remains of the G2 dynasty that held them back. The last time we saw Hans Sama in a Rogue jersey, he was dragging the entire team at the 2021 World Championship. And despite not making it out of groups, nor winning a LEC title, Hans Sama wasn’t the reason Rogue couldn’t win. Their recent results and his tenure with Team Liquid might lead you to believe otherwise. But those who paid close attention know what Hans Sama brings to the table. He has been one of the best bot lakers in Europe due to his solid fundamentals. You don’t forget how to play the game in a year. And everyone is expecting a big comeback from him in 2023.

French esports agency suing Hans Sama

The same could be said about his former representatives. According to a report by Jacob Wolf, French esports agency ARC is suing Hans Sama. Athletes Representation & Consulting is pressing charges against G2’s new bot laner in French court due to a breach of contractual obligations. According to the report, Steven Liiv signed with a competitor agency while under contract and never paid out the agreed commission during the period they represented him. The dispute is linked to his transfer to Team Liquid in 2021, where ARC started negotiating but a competing agency called Proxy, closed the deal. Court documents also claim that Hans Sama still owes them a portion of the commissions for the Rogue deal, which they negotiated. 

Their agreement was set to expire at the end of 2021, with a one-year auto-renewal policy for 2022 unless either party informed the other they wanted to end the collaboration. It appears Hans Sama might have missed this clause in his contract. Under their agreement, ARC was entitled to 5% of his yearly salary for any deal he’d sign by the end of 2021. At the time, ARC contacted Rogue about selling his rights to an LCS organization, since a LEC move was not favorable. They negotiated a buyout and salary with Cloud9 and started negotiating with Team Liquid. But despite a deal for representation exclusivity, Hans Sama agreed to a Team Liquid deal that Proxy negotiated, despite ARC kicking off the conversation. Rogue also helped realize Steven’s wish, considering the TL deal that Proxy negotiated had a lower buyout than the C9 one ARC offered. According to Rich, who is an agent for many LEC players, the disputed amount is around $50 000 and this confirms the rumored $1 million salary Team Liquid paid Hans Sama for his services in 2022. 

Rookie jungler Yike replaces Jankos

In a recent interview with the Swedish news outlet Expressen, Martin “Yike” Sundelin detailed his recent move to G2. The 22 year old who started competing professionally in 2019, said that he felt ”sick” after being notified that G2 wanted to sign him. So who is this unknown talent that G2 chose to fill the big shoes that Jankos left? Well starting slow and a bit late for esports standards, Yike found great success once he got the opportunity. After joining Team Oplon in the summer of 2021, he helped them conquer the French second division. This led to the team’s promotion to the LFL, where he switched sides and joined LDLC. There he immediately made an impact, with LDLC finishing with the best record and winning both splits in 2022. The team also came close to winning the EU Masters but eventually lost to the Rekkles-led Karmine Corp. 

During the summer edition of the circuit they finished third, losing to the eventual champions Team Heretics and Jackspektra. Despite having a short career, everywhere Yike has gone, he has won. And he seems very excited to be joining G2 and partnering with Caps. In his interview, he said that their combined aggression should generate a lot of opportunities for the rest of the map. But more importantly, he mentioned that he’s been looking up to Jankos since 2013, and that it feels surreal to be replacing him, especially in a G2 jersey.

Header: Youtube/ Team Liquid