G2 Gozen acquires Akita as fifth after Petra benching

It is effectively the end of an era for G2 Gozen, after the team recently announced that they would be benching longtime veteran Petra "Petra" Stoker from the starting roster. However, it might be the start of a new era for the team, as they've announced the addition of former ZERANCE Mint duelist Esllene "Akita" Xu..

Young guns

The 18-year-old French player has been one of the best performing duelists during the VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Game Changers EMEA Stage 1, having had the highest ACS of any player during the tournament and the third-highest average kills per round, just behind Michaela "mimi" Lintrup and Tina "Joliinaa" Agéli. Despite ZERANCE MINT's struggles and early playoff exit, Akita was a bright spot for the roster who had multiple highlight moments. As a result, she will get the chance to fill the large shoes that Petra is leaving behind.

This past stage, G2 looked like favorites to win the championship as per usual. They powered through the group stage with ease, only dropping a single series vs. GIANTX GC. However, this would be an unfortunate look into the future for G2 fans, since the team would eventually lose in the upper bracket final to Karmine Corp GC. They'd run into GIANTX GC once more in the lower bracket final, but would drop the series 1-3. It was a disappointing end to a promising run for the star-studded roster, and it prompted the management to kickstart changes that would drastically shift the look of the team moving forward.

Looking ahead, G2 will put their new acquisition to the test when the team heads off to Red Bull Instalock 2025 on Friday, May 2. They will be facing off against a trio of talented teams, such as Falcons VEGA, FlyQuest RED, and GIANTX GC. Meanwhile, VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 - Game Changers EMEA Stage 2 will begin on May 26, which means that G2 has ample time to prepare and build synergy with their new teammates before they dive into the fray once again.

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