Rookie of the week: G2 Esports' Trick

It’s never easy being the new guy. More often than not you’re fighting over the sound of the more established voices that populate whatever strange new territory you find yourself in.

Sometimes, you’ll actually manage to make yourself heard. Other times you feel about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit.

In an attempt to alleviate some of these teething problems we’ve decided to announce Rookie Of The Week - showcasing the latest additions to the LCS that exemplify what it means to be a pro-player who might not otherwise get a platform. This week there was one individual who stood out amongst his largely rookie team. The trickiest addition to the EU LCS...

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Trick played two stellar games for G2 where he dominated the jungle and helped his team finish 2-0 this weekend. A team who emerged from Challenger, they join the likes of H2K and UOL at the top of the table much to the surprise of, well, just about everyone. Trick stood out from his teammates ending the first weekend of the EU LCS with a 27.0 KDA (currently 1st place in EU) and incredible performances on Graves and Lee Sin.

Playing against Elements, Trick pitched a tent in his enemy jungle. He was a king of deep vision, only to emerge for the inevitable kills and assists that came with the massive amount of burst damage he was putting out. He played like a pseudo ADC and completely took Elements’ mid lane and jungle by surprise. It was a loud and clear message that mid-to-late game junglers aren’t just glorified wards. On whether we’d see more Graves jungle from him, Trick wasn’t giving too much away. “I plan on using it in the [season] every now and then.”

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In his match against Roccat, Trick was unlucky to give away First Blood on Lee Sin. G2 started slow, but once they got rolling Trick managed to accumulate almost a 90% kill participation and pulled off some highlight reel kicks that will keep Airwaks shuddering for days. At one point G2 were down 4000 gold, but with some great coordination between the team, particularly Trick and Emperor, they clawed their way back for the victory.

Trick subbed for CJ Entus for a year before making the move to Europe where he has high hopes for his team. “I feel good because I have now become a starting player," he said. "I think we can easily be in the top four teams and I believe we have a chance to become the number one team.” Although we’ve only seen one weekend of action, and a lot can change over the course of a split, this doesn’t seem like farfetched appraisal.

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Moving from Korea to find success in EU or NA seems to be a compelling option for many pro players in the LCK. Though, it’s not exactly an easy decision to make. “Yes, I miss Korea. My family worries, but they are happy for me.” When asked for any advice to give to others thinking of making the same decision and moving to Europe, Trick remained modest. “It’s only been two weeks since I have been a pro gamer in the LCS, so I don’t think I can give any advice just yet.”

This weekend G2 will face their biggest test against H2K who made short work of split favourites Origen, and dominated Giants. The match will in all likelihood be for a spot at the top of the ladder, providing both H2K and G2 win their games on Thursday. “While I am worried about the H2K match, I think we can win.” Whatever the result, Trick seems excited for the matchup.

So are we, Trick. So are we...