"Feels like we're not in a healthy spot" - G2 valyn on the Leviatan loss and Neon's dominance
G2 Esports dropped a 2-1 loss to Leviatán in VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Stage 1 Week 2, and while the result stings, IGL Jacob "valyn" Batio wasn't in denial about where his team stands. In an exclusive post-match interview with THESPIKE.GG, valyn opened up candidly about G2's growing pains, the current state of the meta, his take on Neon, and his complex feelings about VALORANT's upcoming format overhaul.
A Loss That Reflected a Bigger Problem
The series itself wasn't a blowout. G2 took map 1, Breeze, only for Leviatán to grind back and claim the series 2-1. But valyn wasn't pointing fingers at the opponent and instead looking inward.
"It was a close game, they played really good. We knew it was going to be tough. Like they're in a healthy spot on their team right now, and it feels like we're not."
The word "healthy" carries a lot of weight, suggesting G2 are still in the process of finding their footing. It's a surprisingly honest admission after a loss, but it's also a sign of self-awareness from a leader who understands that sugarcoating the situation won't fix it. The result leaves G2 0-2 in the standings, but valyn insists there's still a path forward.
"We still have a good enough chance to make playoffs. Hopefully we can iron those things down and try to get our confidence back and power through."
G2's Anti-Meta Approach
One of the more striking storylines of the series was G2's unusual compositions with double controller setups on Breeze and Split that, admittedly, raised eyebrows for me as someone who primarily covers VCT Pacific.
Coming from a region where the double duelist meta has firmly taken root, I wasn't entirely familiar with the tactical directions teams in the Americas were exploring. But valyn was quick to clarify that G2's approach isn't stubbornness or an inability to adapt but a deliberate attempt to find an edge in a region that is still very much writing its own meta playbook.
“I think there [are] multiple ways to approach the meta right now. Like double-duelist is still strong, but there [are] also different ways. Like you can play kind of anti-meta with Vyse and more controllers… Just because double duelist is working for other people doesn't mean it's like the best… Sometimes it's good to just run what you're comfortable with and play from there.”
And it seems that double-controllers is where G2’s focus has been in for this matchup, as they pulled out double-controller comps on both maps 2 and 3, Split and Bind. valyn argued double-controller lineups offer multiple "phases" within a single round, keeping opponents guessing.
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“It just gives you a lot of possibilities running double-controller. You can go through so many phases of a round because you'll always have smokes… the double controller can play more throughout the round… This playstyle is still a work in progress for us. Obviously we wish we won these last two games, but they were close.”
It's a shift from what G2 ran in VALORANT Champions Tour 2026 - Americas Kickoff, with Andrej "babybay" Francisty on Yoru and Alexander "jawgemo" Mor on the secondary duelist being the default. Now, the team is actively experimenting, but there still seems to be some room for improvement. Interestingly, the two teams valyn specifically namedrops as fellow meta experimenters—G2 and NRG—both find themselves sitting at 0-2 in the VCT Americas standings.
On Neon: "The Agent Is Doing More Than It Should"
With Neon sitting at a staggering 77.25% pick rate across all four VCT regions, valyn had a lot to say about the game's most polarizing agent.
"Neon is just good in general. It's an agent that is more than just utility. It's hard to shoot [and] creates a lot of space in a meta where there's not as much utility. So the agent is doing more than it should."
valyn broke down exactly why Neon is so difficult to deal with at a granular level: the rechargeable slides, the micro-movement that creates constant crosshair displacement, and the free information from the sprint. Each element individually might seem manageable, but combined they make Neon a near-permanent menace across every phase of a round.
As for the counter-argument that Neon herself isn't broken but the checks against her have been over-nerfed, valyn largely agreed, and it would seem that Vyse is the main answer G2 are leaning on.
"I feel like Vyse is one of the main antis right now for Neon. And Vyse was also nerfed, of course… The sentinels aren't really good enough to stop her. I think Vyse is good enough to stop her if they go into the Vyse setup… I think if people are running more Vyse, maybe it's harder for Neon but only some teams are playing Vyse."
On the topic of a potential Neon nerf, he was honest in his assessment that he was unsure how the agent could be nerfed without it being completely destroyed. But he did share an idea that seemed feasible.
“Maybe I could see it drop down to one stun, one circle. Because the stun gets two. There's really not much counterplay in terms of maneuvering around the agent. Because it just covers the entire ground. Maybe moving the stun to just one charge and you can keep everything else.”
VCT 2027 Format: Exciting for Fans, Stressful for Players
Leo Faria's announcement of the "everything is a tournament" format for VCT 2027 generated considerable buzz online, with much of the community responding positively to the increased openness. valyn's reaction was “a bit different,” in his own words.
"I think my initial reaction is a bit different from everyone else. I see everyone online happy about it being so open. But I think there was a lot of uncertainty at the time."
As someone who has experienced the chaos of tier-2 firsthand, valyn knows that the idea of the format doesn't always match the grind of living through it. Losing two games and being eliminated for months is a brutal reality for both players' development and team chemistry.
“It's cool to give everyone a chance. But it's hard for some players to lose two games and be out for a long time. In VCT, if you lose a couple games, you can always bounce back. But it's going to be way more cutthroat next year in terms of your performance. So you always got to be on top.”
There's also a competitive integrity concern that valyn raised. The potential for cutting corners or outright cheating in online qualifier environments is a genuine worry, and one he hopes Riot Games addresses seriously.
"I just hope that they are really strict with the online stuff. I think there's always open room for cheating or just slight ways of getting an advantage when you just play online."
Still, he acknowledged the upside: the format will keep even established teams from getting complacent, “like a fire under their ass to make sure they never slip up."
Tier 2 Teams at Champs? Don't Count On It
With Stage 2 introducing a pathway for Tier 2 teams to qualify for Champs, the question of whether any of them could realistically compete at the highest level is a hot topic. The former The Guard player was blunt, though not dismissive of the talent that exists outside the VCT league.
"I don't think any of the Tier 2 teams are good enough to beat the top VCT teams. Maybe on a good day, I mean, it's VALORANT."
He highlighted the experience gap in terms of playing on stage, under pressure, against opponents who have shared rooms and bootcamps for months.
“[The VCT teams] also have all of the experience on the stage, the experience under pressure, and all that. While the Tier 2 teams are just playing from the comfort of their home the whole time. Not to say that there isn't any good Tier 2 teams, but I just think they're like at more of a disadvantage.”
Teams like MAD Lions and Shopify Rebellion Black, with more organizational infrastructure and veteran presence, get the most credit from valyn. He also named FlyQuest as a team that earned his respect in scrims for their unique style but stopped short of backing them to handle the step up to an international championship stage.
Watch the full interview below:
For G2, the focus right now is climbing back up in Americas, rediscovering form, and proving that their experimental approach to the meta isn't just a gimmick, but a genuine path to playoff contention.
For all things VCT-related, make sure to stay tuned to THESPIKE.GG as we continue to update you with the freshest game and esports news.
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