VALORANT player Petra moves to G2 Gozen bench

VALORANT player Petra ‘Petra’ Stoker has been moved to the bench after nearly four years of competing for G2 Gozen.

The decision was announced today following disappointing results during Game Changers EMEA Stage 1 at the beginning of the year.

G2 Gozen is the Gamer Changers roster of global esports organisation G2 Esports. The squad was established in 2021 after the creation of VALORANT Game Changers, Riot Games’ esports ecosystem for women and other marginalised genders.

Former Counter-Strike athlete Petra was part of G2 Gozen’s founding roster, which quickly became a dominating force within the Game Changers scene. The team routinely ranked at the top of regional tournaments and won the inaugural Game Changers Championship in 2022. With this victory, Petra, Michaela ‘mimi’ Lintrup, and Julia ‘juliano’ Kiran became the first women to win World Championships in two different games.

While G2 Gozen never managed to secure another international trophy, Petra and her team finished third at both the 2023 and 2024 Championships. This year, however, the team failed to dominate on a regional level for the first time.

Despite leading the EMEA Stage 1 Group Stage with an 8-1 match score, G2 Gozen lost in the Playoffs bracket. The roster was defeated by Karmine Corp GC (0-2) and then lost a rematch against GIANTX GC (1-3), only securing third place.

Following today’s news, G2 Gozen’s Team Manager, Thibault ‘Tibalt’ Pulcini, shed some light on the reasons behind Petra’s move to the bench. According to Tibalt, the team sought to undergo further role changes to improve competitive results. Smokes player Aleyna ‘Vania’ Keskin was to return to her initial role, while Petra needed to fill the role of duelist.

Without prior duelist experience in competitive play, Petra was meant to join trial runs for the position ahead of Game Changers Stage 2. Tibalt claims that Petra chose not to join the trials.

The team manager further explained: “I know some people will consider the decision of putting Petra on trials an injustice. Especially considering everything she has done for the team for almost four years. These people don’t understand that it is our job to make sure this team performs at the highest level all the time, which sometimes requires hard decisions like this one.”

Petra herself also commented on today’s news via X (formerly Twitter): “Pain in my heart, but I can look back on great memories. Let’s see what the future holds.”

With her on the bench, in-game leader mimi is the only member of G2 Gozen’s initial roster who still actively competes for the team. As Petra’s longest-standing teammate, she posted a heartfelt statement on her personal social media.

“Five years of friendship, laughter, growth, and today, that chapter closes,” wrote mimi. “This is, without a doubt, the hardest decision I’ve ever been a part of, but when you’re part of a team, you learn that the right decision isn’t always the easiest, especially when it’s made with the bigger picture in mind. […]

“It hurts that this is how things ended, but I’m endlessly grateful for every moment. Wishing her nothing but success and happiness in whatever comes next.”