The Hot Seat: G2 eSports

 

First of all, I should start by explaining “what” the Hot Seat is. The Hot Seat is a term I like to use to describe a team that is in a situation where it is win or go home. In this situation, teams have to go all out in order to retain their spot in League Play and eventually a shot at the RLCS Season 2 Grand Prize of $50,000 and a sweet title. Now that you know a little bit about the hot seat, here’s how it works.

Each week I will pick a team that is in a desperate situation and talk about why they’re in a bad place, how they got there and what they need to do in order to get out of it. I’ll include a little bit of the team’s history, past results, consistencies (or lack thereof) and finish up with a brief conclusion of whether or not I believe the team can “get off the Hot Seat”.

G2 eSports are currently in a rough situation in regards to their chances for making the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) Season Two League Play Playoffs and potentially the International Finals, which were recently announced to be held in Amsterdam, Netherlands. For a chance at the biggest prize pool in Rocket League history to date, G2 eSports have a mountain to climb if they wish to relive their miraculous journey at the end of the Rocket League Championship Series Season 1. In the inaugural edition of this article, G2 eSports is on the Hot Seat.

Recent History

With the starting roster of Cameron “Kronovi” Bills, Brandon “Lachinio” Lachin, and Ted “OverZer0” Keil, iBuyPower Cosmic won the inaugural RLCS International Finals after riding the wave of energy that the live crowd at the Avalon Hollywood provided. G2 eSports then bought out iBuyPower and took ownership of the Cosmic roster. The team came into the second season of the RLCS with the highest expectations that anyone in the scene has ever seen. With the weight of everyone’s expectations on their shoulders, G2 swept every team in the opening week of the qualifiers, making it into the Round of 64. G2 played well into the final round of qualifiers, where they faced another top 8 team, Take 3. They fell to Take 3 (3-1) in a set that revealed many flaws of G2’s play. After the loss, they swept Classic Stanley (3-0) to advance to the RLCS Season 2 League Play.

Team Statistics

Enough with the recent history lesson... Let’s take a look at current statistics. As a comparison, we’ll use the results and statistics from G2’s World Championship run and match them against their current League Play results from weeks one and two. During the RLCS Season 1 International Finals, G2 eSports (at the time iBuyPower Cosmic) played 20 games, winning 14 and losing 6 for a win percentage of 70%. Currently in RLCS Season 2 League Play, G2 eSports has played 11 games, winning 2 and losing 9 for a win percentage of 18.2%. G2 averages league lows in Score per Game (607.73), Goals per Game (1.18), Assists per Game (0.82), and shots per game (6.64). The only category, in which G2 eSports is the median, is Saves per Game (4.09). In comparison to their championship run, Kronovi, Lachinio, and OverZer0 led the International Finals in Win Percentage (70%), Score per Game (761.50), and Saves per Game (5.35), while holding fifth for Shots per Game (6.40). In order to get a better picture of why G2 eSports are failing to produce in League Play, let’s look at some individual stats.

Individual Statistics

 

Kronovi (S1 IF)

Kronovi (S2 LP)

OverZer0 (S1 IF)

OverZer0 (S2 LP)

Lachinio (S1 IF)

Lachinio (S2 LP)

Score per Game

270.00

227.27

247.25

190.91

244.25

189.55

Goals per Game

1.20

0.73

0.65

0.18

0.85

0.27

Assists per Game

0.50

0.18

0.70

0.45

0.55

0.18

Saves per Game

1.85

1.27

1.45

1.09

2.05

1.73

Shots per Game

2.05

2.55

2.40

1.73

1.95

2.36

Shooting Percentage

58.54%

28.57%

27.08%

10.53%

43.59%

11.54%

MVP Percentage

50%

0%

7.14%

50%

42.86%

50%

 

I find it much easier to compare statistics side-by-side due to the visual aspect of a chart showing the exact differences so close to one another. In doing this, we can see the dramatic changes in G2 eSport’s play since the International Finals.

For instance, Kronovi, who in the International Finals (S1 IF), shot roughly two (2.05) times capitalizing on about three out of every five goals (58.54%). In League Play (S2 LP), he is shooting roughly a quarter more (2.55) shots than his International Finals (2.05) average and only has roughly half (28.57%) the success rate. Due to him being more aggressive on offense, his nearly two (1.85) saves a game dropped by roughly thirty percent (1.27). Despite his intense offensive play, Kronovi has zero (yes, 0%) of his team’s MVPs in League Play compared to fifty (50%) of the MVPs in the International Finals. I believe the change in statistics that shows Kronovi’s change from an opportunity-oriented player to an aggressive player is an important thing to look at, which I will cover later on.

In OverZer0’s case, his role as “that annoying player who won’t let me control the ball so I can clear it” from the Season 1 International Finals has diminished significantly. While averaging 0.70 assists per game during the International Finals, his success as a passer has dropped to 0.45 assists per game during Season 2 League Play. Likewise, his drop in assists isn’t the the only stat that has decreased since the high of the International Finals. In fact, every single statistic from OverZer0’s League Play is outdone by its International Finals counterpart, except for MVP percentage (which is a result of OverZer0 and Lachinio splitting MVPs for the two games G2 has won). OverZer0 needs to once-again find his spot on the team in the post-LAN (RLCS S1 International Finals) era.

Lachinio is regarded as one of the best players in the game. During the International Finals, this much is true. On defence, he yielded the highest save average with 2.05 saves a game. On offense, he held steady at eighth place in both assists (0.55) and goals (0.85) a game. Since the International Finals, however, Lachinio’s offensive play has taken a backseat to his defence. There has been roughly a 70% decrease in goals per game (0.27) and roughly a 60% decrease in assists per game (0.18). Conversely, his attempted shots have gone up by about 20% (2.36) but with only a success rate of 11.54%. Throughout League Play, Lachinio has been solid on defense, but his offense has been lacking.

Writer’s Thoughts & Conclusion

G2 eSports has put themselves in the hole. This weekend, we will find out whether they have the shovel to dig themselves out or if there’s already too much dirt piled on. After looking at the team statistics and personal statistics, I believe OverZer0 should head the pressure with Lachinio following it up for ball distribution. Kronovi should try to stay back and do what he does best, read and anticipate the ball. Kronovi did not average the most goals (2.05) and the highest shooting percentage (58.54%) from leading the charge and trying to throw the ball through multiple defenders. Lachinio should try to facilitate with the ball and set up either Kronovi or OverZer0. If they can get their rotation going, I believe G2 eSports can take down just about anyone. And if anyone can handle the pressure of a “win or go home” situation, it’s G2 eSports. Poor performance and the threat of elimination puts G2 eSports in this week’s Hot Seat.