G2 Esports didn’t waste any time. Less than 24 hours after their elimination from Worlds 2024, changes are already in motion in the samurai camp. According to Sheep Esports sources, the club has permitted Martin "Yike" Sundelin and Mihael "Mikyx" Mehle to explore their options without a buyout. This decision marks the end of a roster that has dominated Europe for the past two years.

The jungler and support have been integral in G2’s success — the team won five of the six splits since 2023, along with the two Season Finals in Montpellier and Munich. In 2023, both players particularly stood out: Yike earned Rookie of the Year, and Mikyx was named MVP of the Year. In 2024, they still had the best Sheep Esports Rating at their position (69/100 for Yike, 72/100 for Mikyx).

Yike, a marquee jungle talent still in his sophomore year at the LEC, is quickly developing into one of Europe's highest-achieving junglers ever. Mikyx remains the greatest support in European history — a defining piece of the most successful Western LoL roster of all time. For G2 to move on from such beloved players marks a massive shift in the offseason.

However, despite their dominance in Europe, G2 have struggled on the international stage for the past two years. While their early exit from MSI 2023 was excused — Yike’s first international tournament, with losses to Gen.G and Bilibili Gaming — the 2023 Worlds run proved much harder to swallow. G2, seen as the West's best hope, started the Swiss Stage strong with wins over Dplus KIA and Weibo Gaming. But after another defeat to Gen.G, the Samurai were left stunned by a surprise loss to North America's representative NRG, and their Worlds run ended with a third loss to BLG.

An all-too-familiar scenario

History repeated itself this season. With the same roster, G2 once again presented themselves as the only Western team capable of challenging the Asian giants. At MSI, they narrowly lost to T1 (2-3) and then convincingly defeated Top Esports 3-0. At Worlds, G2 showed promising gameplay but were once again eliminated from the Swiss Stage with a familiar pattern: two wins and three losses. This time, they fell to Hanwha Life Esports, T1, and again to BLG, in an bitterly familiar scenario.

Their Swiss draw may have been unlucky, but G2's goal is to compete with the world's best — whether or not they could've made it further, this roster did not achieve that goal. While they continue to rack up European titles, G2 remains unsated with domestic dominance. After two years of failing to achieve international success, G2 has made the bold decision to part ways with two of their cornerstone players. The pressure on their replacements will be immense: not only will they need to match their predecessors’ dominance in Europe, but they will also be expected to elevate G2 to the next level internationally.