A shock 0-2 start to 2025 saw questions being asked of G2 and their likeliness to repeat the dominance that saw them win four LEC titles in 2024. They’ve since moved to a 3-3 record as they continue steadying the ship, though that work needs to continue if they’re to mount a title challenge against table-toppers and rivals Fnatic. We spoke to G2’s top laner BrokenBlade after closing out week two of the Winter split with victory over GIANTX.
Lee Jones: After a so-called slump in the first couple of weeks, was it especially nice to beat GIANTX so dominantly today?
BrokenBlade: Of course it feels very nice. I feel like we had a hard time showing our true strength and true potential, and I think this win is very nice for us. I think it’s a very big boost – not gameplay-wise, but I think in the mental aspect of the game, I think we’re lacking a little bit there.
We’re a bit too cautious in the games. I feel like we let the enemies get away with a lot of stuff that they shouldn’t. I think in all of the games we’ve played, we were in a winning situation and multiple times, but we kind of just let it go. Today we we didn’t do any of that. I feel like anywhere on the map we were just winning. So that was good, I really liked it.
Do you think it’s natural teething issues after roster changes, especially with a rookie jungler?
BrokenBlade: I can’t really tell you for sure. A lot of teams made changes, so saying that it’s normal needing some time. I think it’s a fair statement. I think it wouldn’t be too crazy if someone would say that we didn’t click right away.
I still think we will need to find our right footing on how we will handle certain situations in the game.
I have no doubts that we will win the split just because our process is always the same and it’s it’s been working for years now, which I’m very happy with. I think that for sure the teams are strong this year, but it also gives us a very big motivation to do even greater because I think we were never put this much to the test ever in three years of me playing for G2. So I’m very excited for this challenge and to overcome it together with my team.
Image credit: Riot Games
Lee Jones: There are some similarities between SkewMond’s signing and Yike’s two years ago; both very sought-after rookie junglers who ended up joining G2.
How do you see SkewMond compared to Yike?
BrokenBlade: I think the biggest difference is I would say that SkewMond is less shy in the beginning. I wouldn’t say that Yike is in any way shy now… I think Rudy has been much faster in terms of speaking his mind.
I think in terms of development and how they are, it’s actually very, very similar. I think as as players, they’re very similar in terms of what they play, they both play the carry champions.
I feel like it’s a cool experience for me to work with SkewMond because I feel I wasn’t in this kind of position before with Yike. Now as the captain of the team, I have the responsibility to introduce him to what G2 is, and I think I can do that much, much better now because I know what I could have done better with Yike.
What does the captaincy role entail with regard to welcoming new players then?
BrokenBlade: It’s always case by case. It will depend on how I perceive his emotions or if I think there needs to be a talk. If he has a bad day, I need to understand why he has a bad day or why he has a good day. It obviously goes both ways because then I can give him positive reinforcement or talk him out of the bad habits. And I think this is where we at right now.
I’m still understanding not only him, but also Labrov. I feel like they’re both very special individuals as everyone is on our team. But I know Caps and Hans already for so, so long and, for me, it’s very natural because I know how they will behave; I know what gets them going and stuff like that.
This is something that I want to know more. So I always look to see the conversation, how it is in stressful situations. Obviously I’m not perfect myself either, but that’s also good to understand how they will react if I’m different; good or bad. When you get into a relationship, you get to know each other. I feel like it’s very similar here because we live so many hours next to each other, have so many conversations with each other. So it’s important to understand the human next to you.
Lee Jones: I imagine it would be difficult to focus on helping your teammates when feeling down yourself after a tough loss.
Is it ever tricky balancing the captaincy role, whereby you need to help with the mental of your teammates, with your own emotions?
I feel like over the years defeat has not always been easy, especially at the international tournaments. I think over the years I have learnt that losses and victories – if you can not attach them to emotions, that will lead you to the best success. Whether it’s a 10-game-winning streak and you’re very cocky and you underestimate the opponent and then suddenly you lose, or you’re losing when you should have won against bottom tier team; now that’s really awkward, right?
If you put yourselves in the position right now, we are 3-3. We don’t want to be 3-3. G2 is not a team that is usually 3-3. You would be like; “Oh, I should be more sad than usual”. But if you are a person like this, then it gets really hard to come game after game. And for me, I have learned to separate it, it’s easier to come back after a loss or after a victory.
I feel like that emotion also helps because I clearly see that some people are more or less upset — depending on also the type of victory or defeat we had — and I usually observe the room and then I feel if there’s something that needs to be said.
Recently our coaching staff as well has been doing a very, very great job at handling these defeats and had very, very nice words. I feel like for me, I didn’t even feel like I had to say something because there were really, really good words said.
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