G2 Yike was one of the vital excellent gamers of 2023, so the 2023 LEC Rookie of the Yr award is nicely deserved!
The 2023 LEC season is nearing it’s finish with solely 4 groups remaining within the run for the LEC Season Finals title. These 4 groups, particularly G2 Esports, Fnatic, MAD Lions and Group BDS can even be those to signify the EMEA area within the 2023 World Championship – with both BDS or Fnatic becoming a member of MAD and G2 Esports within the Important Occasion of Worlds, whereas the opposite should face LCS’s Golden Guardians earlier than they get a shot on the Worlds Play-Ins.
However there’s nonetheless some League of Legends available within the LEC and with the top of the season, it’s time to provide out some prestigious awards. After every of the LEC splits, the All-Professional groups had been voted for by specialists and followers alike, with the whole thing of G2 Esports making up the No.1 All-Professional workforce after Summer time. But it surely’s custom within the LEC to additionally choose a Rookie of the Cut up, in addition to the Teaching Workers of the Cut up – however as a result of new format, the organizers pushed these two awards to the top of the 12 months.
Whereas the perfect Teaching Workers nonetheless hasn’t been introduced, the Rookie of the Yr award has been handed out to the perfect new participant of the cut up which is none apart from G2’s jungler, Martin “Yike” Sundelin!
G2 Yike – the perfect rookie of 2023
The 22-year-old Yike joined G2 Esports on the finish of final 12 months to everybody’s shock. Whereas the younger jungler performed for groups such because the Morning Stars within the PG Nationals, Group Oplon and LDLC OL within the LFL, he wasn’t a family title within the ERL’s. Nevertheless, after successful the LFL Division 2 2021 Playoffs with Oplon, he received an opportunity to show himself with LDLC, and the Swede delivered: in 2022, Yike and his teammates – for instance SK Gaming gamers Thomas “Exakick” Foucou and Mads “Doss” Schwartz – received each the Spring and Summer time LFL Playoffs, whereas making it into the Finals of the 2022 EMEA Masters Spring, and to the highest 4 of the Summer time EMEA Masters.
Regardless that Yike didn’t win a world occasion whereas taking part in within the so-called second division of EMEA League of Legends, he did draw the eye of many LEC squads, together with G2 Esports, the place the midlaner, Rasmus “Caps” Borregaard Winther vouched for him (at the least based on this 12 months’s Topfather video by G2).
Regardless that some followers had been frightened that Yike received’t stay as much as the workforce and received’t be capable of fill the void that Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski left behind, G2’s new jungler was every part they hoped for. He may play just about something at a excessive stage, even showcasing excessive prowess with distinctive picks like Bel’Veth. Yike shortly rose to change into among the best junglers of the LEC, additionally successful his first ever LEC cut up.
Yike was by far the highest choose for Rookie of the Yr, and the award feels nicely deserved. However now, he has an even bigger fish to fry: he and G2 must win the 2023 LEC Season Finals, then go on to change into World Champions – can the Rookie of the Yr assist his teammates understand their desires?