“It was an in-the-moment decision”: G2’s IGL Valyn on JonahP’s departure

G2 Esports’ decision to remove Jonah ‘JonahP’ Pulice from its VALORANT roster ahead of the 2026 VCT season shocked the community.

The move left little to no time for the Canadian player to find a new team and came as a surprise, especially considering the organisation’s performances throughout 2025.

Not only did G2 Esports extend its stay in the International League for another year by qualifying for VALORANT Champions 2025, but it also finished second at Masters Bangkok while securing a top five placement at Masters Toronto.

On top of that, the Ascension team dominated all three regional events, winning VCT Americas Kickoff, Stage 1, and Stage 2.

Speaking with Esports Insider at the 2026 Americas Kickoff pre-event press conference about the JonahP’s removal, G2’s IGL Jacob ‘valyn’ Batio revealed that it was a sudden decision.

“We’re always looking for small ways to improve as a team. I would say this Offseason was a hectic one, and it was something that wasn’t something that was really expected. I think everyone can attest to that. It was something that was a very much in the moment decision,” he said.

Explaining the addition of Andrej ‘babybay’ Francisty to the starting lineup, after he initially joined as a stand-in for Nathan ‘leaf’ Orf earlier for Esports World Cup, Valyn added:

“We thought Andrej [babybay] could bring in a unique perspective for us that we haven’t had at these international events, which is just the mental side of the game. We saw an increase in our performance when we played with him in Stage 2 when leaf was gone, and I’m sure everyone remembers those moments.

“G2 looked revitalized with babybay, so we wanted to try to sprinkle that in going into 2026 with him being on the starting roster because he’s still got it. Everyone knows that babybay in the past was one of the strongest mechanical players in VALORANT,” he further elaborated.

babybay helped G2 win its second Red Home Ground trophy with an 220 ACS performance, while also securing a top five position at the VALORANT Radiant International Invitational. 

Adding on to Valyn’s comments, babybay said, “I think Jacob [Valyn] hit the nail on the head with a lot of what he said. I think one of my main jobs here is to keep these guys on track, especially mentally.  I know I help out a lot with his calling, while keeping everyone focused when things can get distracting.”

Talking about his return to competitive VALORANT and individual performance, babybay added:

“It’s been fun finding the form again and being able to create my own unique style of play on these new agents and no one really knows how I’m going to be playing them.”

G2 has undeniably been one of the most consistent teams in VCT since it entered the International League in 2024. That said, the organisation is still chasing its first international title. 

The roster came close to at Masters Bangkok; however, narrowly missed out in a heartbreaking best-of-five series against T1. 

Valyn acknowledged the mental pressure the team has experienced on stage and mentioned that bringing in babybay feels like a step in the right direction. The IGL also hopes to lift at least one international trophy during the 2026 season:

“Last year was great, but it also wasn’t at times. We failed pretty badly at Champs [Champions Paris] and I think we all took that on the chin pretty hard. I would say in Toronto, we got top four, but if we’re honest with ourselves, we had to make a 3-11 comeback to even get there. It took a miracle to even be in that position and it still wasn’t enough.

“We’re looking for a way to get that first place. Maybe this is the answer, maybe it isn’t, but we feel like it’s the right direction for our team. It was a hard decision [parting ways with JonahP], but we’ll see how it plays out,” Valyn elaborated.

Since G2 Esports qualified for Champions Paris, it will begin its 2026 VCT campaign in the second round of the triple-elimination bracket at Americas Kickoff. The team will face the winner of LEVIATÁN vs 100 Thieves in the upper bracket on January 17th in a best-of-three series.

All matches from the event will be streamed live on VCT Americas’ official Twitch and YouTube channels.