After a tumultuous off-season, the reigning champions of the Coupe des Étoiles and Equal Esports Cup runners-up have secured their new star for the 2025 season. Hailing from Venezuela, midlaner Rym "rym" Salloum has now reached a verbal agreement to join G2 Hel in the European women and non-binary competitive scene next year. According to sources, rym had initially reached a similar verbal agreement with Team GO Aurora, but it was short-lived, lasting only around 24 hours as G2 Esports then entered negotiations, presenting a more compelling offer that included support in obtaining Spanish nationality for the Latin American player, something which GO were unfortunately unable to help with.

A Rising Star

The pride and joy of Solary Académie, rym made a name for herself in her brief time as a professional player. Making her debut in late May, she quickly impressed many while playing under Team Paradox during Storm Takeover. Although her team struggled in the tournament, rym was widely regarded as a diamond in the rough and soon joined the struggling Solary Académie in mid-July. While she joined too late to salvage the team's run in the EEC, rym swiftly proved her worth during the Coupe des Étoiles, winning The Title™ of Open Qualifier 3 Champions and finishing the year in a 3rd/4th position during the playoffs.

Starting out as a Zoe main, rym quickly made a name for herself as a talented mage player, shining on picks like Lux, Aurora, Hwei, and more. Her versatility and sharp mechanics really set her apart in the scene. In September, she hit a big milestone in Solo Queue, peaking at 678 LP, further showcasing her talent and potential.

G2's Bizarre Off-Season

From Manon "Sha" Legaignoux to considering a role swap involving Maya "Caltys" Henckel becoming the team's midlaner, and eventually settling on rym, G2 Esports went through numerous iterations over the past few weeks. As mentioned in our report about Olivia "Lizia" Calistus leaving G2 Esports to join SK Avarosa, the organization missed out on several of its top choices, notably in midlane as rym was not the first prospect that G2 eyed this off-season, even if she was involved in the team's tryouts from the get-go.

Though Sha was initially included in the tryouts for G2 Hel, the team's former midlaner quickly left negotiations after receiving an offer from another major European organization, leading to a drastic change in the team's off-season plans. One of the more interesting potential moves during this period was G2's consideration of a role swap for Caltys to mid, which would have been tied to Mia "Miella" Steger joining as the team's new AD Carry. However, this option was quickly dismissed as Miella eventually settled with another team, and Caltys never even got the chance to play a trial match as the team's midlaner.

Among other names briefly considered, G2 Esports explored options with Dafni "Apollonia" Gkerveni and Sasha "Sashy" Barrault, the latter having also been asked to join as a toplaner at a later stage. However, sources indicate that rym soon emerged as the primary candidate for the team's midlane role.

Snowballing from Sha's departure, G2 quickly lost Madison "CrowMac" Coutelet, who was one of the team's main toplane options at the time, along with Alice "Wiosna" Mossé, who also declined to join the European powerhouse in favor of another team. With rym's arrival, it now seems very unlikely that G2 will fulfill the French residency requirements to compete in the Coupe des Étoiles next year, as their toplane options appear very limited. According to sources, the team has begun exploring options with non-toplaner free agents and is hoping to find a suitable replacement through a role swap.

What About Solary?

With rym's departure, Solary Académie are now losing their major prospect. With two years in the women and non-binary scene under its belt, the French organization has established itself as a solid underdog, achieving decent results despite having a significantly lower budget than the league's top competitors. Unfortunately, despite strong results this year, the team’s underdog status is likely to remain unchanged. As of now, Solary Académie have stayed largely passive this off-season, with the team’s now-former jungler, Iulia "Yushia" Boldor, also having brief tryouts with G2 Hel and having now found a new home elsewhere.

However, the team's inactivity doesn't necessarily suggest it’s on the verge of disbanding. As an academic division, the team’s ambitions have always been primarily developmental, and it's expected that Solary will enter the player market once larger teams have completed their rosters. In an exclusive interview with the team's CEO, Sakor "Le Roi Bisou" Ros, during the Coupe des Étoiles before the off-season market opened, he shared: "I think our academic team really had a positive impact on us this year, especially with the arrival of rym. It was a team with heart, and I loved watching them play. I hope we'll have an academic team next year too. It all depends on our budget, but I think we’ll have one, at least that's what I want."

For more roster changes, check out our Transfers Hub.