G2 Esports announced one of the most shocking roster moves of the 2025 Valorant shuffle when they benched long-time member Jonah “JonahP” Pulice in favor of Andrej “babybay” Francisty, who had spent the past two years transitioning into a broadcast personality. Craziest of all, though: they have immediately seen results.

Naturally, many fans had doubted the move, wondering if 30-year-old babybay could still compete against the world’s best. But on his first rodeo as an official member, he silenced the doubters. 

G2’s New Era Begins With Statement Win 

G2’s revamped roster could not have made a louder statement. In their first outing together at Red Bull Home Ground, babybay and company took down NRG, the reigning VCT Champions – and did so in convincing fashion. 

NRG themselves came into the event with a supposed upgrade in the form of Georgio “keiko” Sanassy, hoping to maintain their recent momentum. However, it was clear that G2 had done their homework. 

The two teams met in the grand final, with NRG coming in as the heavy favorite. However, the story went the other way – G2 swept the world champions 3-0, looking better in every department. 

3-0 NRG.

The theme for us this event was resilience and it showed from start to finish at this event. We are your Red Bull Home Ground champions. This entire event was a huge test for us as a team not only in the server but out. We still have a long way to go but this is the… pic.twitter.com/QlpmKW3xtY

— BABYBAY (@KING_BABYBAY) November 17, 2025

From Early Doubt to Total Dominance

What made this victory more impressive was how G2’s run started. They lost their opening match 7-13 to ZETA Division, which prompted an immediate wave of doubt.

But after that early stumble, G2 didn’t drop a single map throughout the rest of the tournament. They clawed their way back through the lower bracket, eliminating the likes of Cloud9, Sentinels, and Fnatic along the way until eventually finishing the tournament in flawless fashion. 

NRG’s Kryptonite Strikes Again

The story runs deeper when you consider the history between the two North American squads. In 2025, G2 would always have NRG’s number, winning all three head-to-head matchups. 

It leaves you wondering what the outcome might have been had these two teams met in the VCT Champions 2025 grand final. 

Though it’s still early days into the offseason, G2’s victory at Red Bull Home Ground was a statement: babybay’s return is no nostalgia act.

The team’s chemistry looked fluid, and their confidence seemed to have been restored. The question is whether they can carry this dominance throughout next season.