G2 Esports has taken a step forward in terms of inclusivity, signing an all-women League of Legends esports squad to form a new LoL team, G2 Hel. Who are these ladies and where will they compete though?
On September 2, 2022 esports organization G2 Esports revealed their new League of Legends roster – G2 Hel. This is going to be the teams all-women roster going forward, but there are quite a few things you have to know about these ladies and one of them being that they've already won competitions before.
Esports is still lacking in representation for women and having one of the biggest esports brands in the world sign an all-women's team just shows that we're taking small steps towards inclusivity, but where are they going to be playing?
G2 Esports Hel Roster
Who are the women that will be competing for G2 Esports Hel? The team was named after norse mythology, Hel being the goddess of death, which is just fitting. If G2 Esports isn't winning any trophies at the 2022 League of Legends World Championship, then they've got a back up team to win them some trophies at all-women tournaments instead.
- Top: Olivia "Lizia" Calistua
- Jungle: Agnė "Karina" Ivaškevičiūtė
- Mid: Alena "TIFA" Maurer
- ADC: Maya "Caltys" Henckel
- Support: Ève "Colomblbl" Monvoisin
This team isn't just a bunch of random high elo players though, but they have played together before. This team was previously known as the Burger Flippers where they competed in the GirlGamer Oradea Festival which they actually won as well.
When is G2 going to get a team for Project L ready?
G2 Forerunner in Terms of Inclusivity
G2 Esports founder Carlos "Ocelote" Rodríguez Santiago explained that this was a step forward for the org and that regardless of a person's sexual orientation or gender, they could have a space at G2 Esports.
At G2, we build teams and bring in top players based on skill, talent, and brand fit – regardless of gender or orientation. We want to give all players the chance to fulfill their potential and realize their dreams. G2 Hel includes some of the best female players in the world and we’re delighted to have them on board. As is the case with all of our teams, they’ll have our full support, and we’re excited for them to help us fill our cabinet with more League of Legends trophies, in fact, they already won a trophy before they were even announced.
G2 Esports also fields one of the best women's VALORANT teams in the world in G2 Gozen. Now it's time for their League of Legends division to step up as well with this brand-new roster.
Will Riot Add All-Women LoL Tournaments?
Riot Games has a huge women's league in VALORANT, but hasn't put the same effort of inclusivity into League of Legends. While G2 Hel won the GirlGamer Oradea Festival and qualified for the GirlGamer World Championship through their efforts, little to nothing is known about this tournament.
There aren't any well-known women's only tournaments in League of Legends and while it isn't against the rules to field women in regional leagues or even the LEC, with the lack of visibility currently in LoLesports, there are little to girls on the level of professional players. Therefore, adding a visible and well-known all-women's League of Legends league each year could be beneficial for the growth of LoL esports amongst young women.
Whether Riot is going to add an all-women's event to League of Legends hasn't been revealed, but with more well-known orgs adding women's rosters alongside those of the men, then young girls can gain some visibility through that at least.