G2 Esports in-game leader Jacob “valyn” Batio has reportedly reached a verbal agreement to join LYON for the next VCT cycle, according to Sheep Esports. There is one big catch: the deal only happens if LYON is selected as a VCT Americas partner team.
This isn’t a completed transfer. Valyn is still tied to G2, and the reported understanding is preliminary. If LYON misses out on a partnership slot, the agreement collapses, and valyn is free to look elsewhere for next season.
Per the report, LYON wants to build a roster centered around Latin American talent, with valyn brought in as the veteran in-game leader and the central figure of the project. That means installing a system and guiding less-experienced regional players, rather than importing an existing lineup wholesale.
Valyn is one of the most respected English-speaking IGLs in the Americas. He made his name with The Guard, the North American roster that won 2023 VCT Ascension Americas and then watched the organization fail to complete the process required to enter the league. Riot eventually allowed an approved org to pick up the qualifying roster, and G2 signed the core.
That history is why a move would sting. Valyn has spent years alongside a long-running Guard lineage, and his exit would mark another split in that group. IGL changes also ripple further than most transfers, touching recruitment, comps, map prep, and coaching.
The report doesn’t say whether valyn pushed to leave, whether G2 wanted a change, or whether a buyout would be required.
Still a lot of blanks
The partnership decision is completely out of valyn’s hands. Until Riot confirms its selected VCT Americas organizations, the rest is unresolved: valyn’s G2 contract status, any transfer fee, residency and import classifications, where the team would be based, and whether the roster would call in English, Spanish, or both.
A conditional offer also doesn’t mean LYON knows it is in. Orgs routinely line up players while waiting on Riot’s verdict.
