In the 2020 League of Legends (LoL) offseason, Luka “Perkz” Perković out of G2 Esports (G2) and where he is going has been a fascinating topic to discuss. Many sources, such as this video from Travis Gafford, rumored that Perkz is out of G2 because Perkz wants to play mid, but G2 wants to keep Rasmus “Caps” Winther.
There have been many rumors as to where Perkz is going. Some people are saying Fnatic, some people are saying Cloud 9, and others are saying that he might move into coaching or take a year off.
I think Perkz is going to North America (NA), and here’s why.
The European Options
Perkz’s options in Europe are not that good. Winning domestic titles still matter. It adds to your value as a player and gives money and reputation to the organizations. This is why Yiliang (Peter) “Doublelift” Peng is so valuable despite never making it out of groups.
In Europe, you have a meager chance of winning the title unless you’re Fnatic or G2. Fnatic and G2 are big organizations with money and reputation. All the good players from other European teams eventually rise up to fill spots in those rosters.
The other European organizations don’t necessarily have the money to afford Perkz. If they do, they likely don’t have money to create a strong team around Perkz. If Perkz goes to another European team other than Fnatic or G2, he’s not going to have a team that could contend at worlds. He might not even make it to worlds. This undermines Perkz’s whole goal of winning worlds.
Fnatic, on the other hand, is his best option. Joining Fnatic would make the G2-Fnatic rivalry very intense. If you switch Tim “Nemesis” Lipovšek (the current Fnatic midlaner) for Perkz and keep the rest of the roster, you would have a worlds-winning roster on paper.
Unfortunately, however, G2’s owner will most likely not let Perkz go to Fnatic by doing something like increasing Perkz’s contract buyout to unreasonable prices. As mentioned before, winning domestic titles still matter. Currently, G2’s lineup with both Perkz and Caps have dominated Fnatic in the last four splits. Giving Perkz to Fnatic would shift the power dynamic immensely.
Why NA Is An Option
When many people hear about Perkz going to NA, the first thought that comes to mind is, “I thought he wanted to win worlds.” Yes, NA does not perform at worlds, and we’re known for overpaying players that produce poor results. But there are a lot of good options for Perkz in NA.
A European player who is still playing at his highest level is almost guaranteed to go to worlds in NA. Additionally, the prospective organizations looking for Perkz are in strong positions for creating strong teams around Perkz.
Think about an organization such as Team Liquid. Their rumored roster heading into 2021 consists of 4 players with million-dollar salaries. Only LPL teams can match and beat these salaries.
And even though NA has had very slim chances of getting out of groups every year, NA has shown that they are capable of competing internationally on various occasions, including Team Liquid and Counter Logic Gaming reaching finals of the 2019 and 2016 MSI respectively and Cloud 9’s run to semi-finals in the 2018 worlds.
If Perkz goes to NA, he will most likely end up in an organization such as Cloud 9, which has been known as the organization that does the best out of all the NA teams at worlds. The chances are slim, but he can still win worlds on a NA team playing mid while getting a massive salary.
Highest Chance: Cloud 9
The most suitable team for Perkz in NA is Cloud 9. Cloud 9 has a strong roster going into the 2021 season, and its reputation as the most successful NA team at worlds makes it an excellent option for Perkz, who still has the skill to win.
Most of the rumors surrounding Perkz has him landing in Cloud 9. It would make sense because Cloud 9’s owner, Jack, has offered Caps a blank cheque to play for Cloud 9 before. This shows that Jack is willing to spend money importing top mid players. So why not Perkz, who has been known to be the only European midlaner to rival Caps in skill in the past?
Additionally, Perkz to Cloud 9 would also reunite him with Cloud 9’s current ADC player, Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen, who has won championships with before.
For Cloud 9, replacing Nisqy with Perkz would be a massive upgrade. One of Cloud9’s most significant weaknesses in 2020 was their mid lane. Playing through mid lane was something Cloud 9 did not often do well on. As a result, Cloud 9 has already been rumored to be splitting time between Nisqy and other players. If Cloud 9 manages to acquire Perkz, Cloud 9 will become a powerhouse team able to play through all their lanes.
Small Chance: TSM
If Perkz does come to NA, but he doesn’t go to Cloud 9, there is a good chance he goes to TSM. With Søren “Bjergsen” Bjerg retiring into the TSM head coach role, TSM is looking for a new midlaner.
TSM’s best options are importing a successful midlaner or bringing up new NA talent. Getting Perkz would be a part of the first option. If Perkz goes to TSM, the transition for TSM going into the next season will be seamless. On paper, a potential TSM with Perkz roster looks like they would win another domestic title and not go 0-6 at worlds. Plus, Perkz and Doublelift look like they have a great friendship and mesh well on the team.
However, the problem with Perkz and TSM is TSM’s reputation for poor worlds performance and being a “talent suppression machine.” TSM did not have success importing former G2 players such as Zven.
TSM could change, but at the current moment, getting Perkz into TSM would be rather unsuitable as they don’t look like a worlds winning team.
Perkz To NA?
Is Perkz coming to NA? Well, I don’t know for sure. This article is solely my opinion.
Given his options in Europe and North America, coming to North America does look like an option if the rumor that Perkz wants to play mid lane is true. Currently, Perkz is still under G2’s contract. If any other team wants to pick up Perkz, it would be a buyout.
And the team I think most likely to take Perkz if he comes to NA is Cloud 9.
If you agree or disagree, comment below with your opinion and support!