LoL EU LCS era of Bwipo, PerkZ, Caps, Jankos, Mithy (2017–2018)

Lore & Background

In the landscape of 2017 European League of Legends, two names dominated every conversation: Fnatic and G2 Esports. While Fnatic, with their veteran depth and tactical discipline, held the crown, G2 Esports arrived as the hungry, electric challenger. Their identity was built on speed—Bwipo's aggressive bot lane pressure, PerkZ's fearless mid-lane dives, and Caps' relentless top-lane skirmishing all fed into a jungle tempo that Jankos orchestrated with surgical precision. Mithy anchored the backline, providing the vision and peel that let the other four swing their swords.

What made this roster distinct was not just individual talent but a shared philosophy: play fast, play aggressive, and trust your teammates to follow. In a meta that often rewarded macro patience and slow scaling, G2 chose to force the issue in the early and mid game, dragging opponents into chaotic teamfights where their mechanical ceiling shone. This made their matches against Fnatic feel like a chess match played at double speed—Fnatic's structured control versus G2's kinetic chaos.

By the close of 2018, the era had wound down as rosters reshuffled and the competitive landscape shifted. But the 2017–2018 G2 five left an indelible mark on EU LoL culture. They proved that a team built on youthful aggression and mutual trust could stand toe-to-toe with the continent's most decorated squad, and they gave fans a narrative of rivalry and near-misses that still resonates in the community today.

In Their Own Story

The arena lights dimmed to a deep blue. Five monitors glowed in the G2 booth, each reflecting the focused eyes of a player about to step into the most-watched match of the split. Bwipo cracked his knuckles, jaw set. Across the stage, Fnatic's side was already in their pre-game huddle, voices low and measured. Caps leaned back, ran a hand over his hair, and muttered something to Jankos that made the jungler grin. PerkZ was already typing in chat—some banter, some trash talk, the kind that made the crowd roar. Mithy said nothing. He never did. He just checked his ward placements one last time, exhaled, and locked in. The caster's voice hit: "And here we go, the match the entire EU scene has been waiting for." The first minute was silence. Then Bwipo's Vayne stepped in, and the noise swallowed everything else.

Reader's Guide

Chapter 1: The Assembling (2017)

The period begins with G2 Esports fielding a young, aggressive core in the 2017 EU LCS season. Bwipo, PerkZ, Caps, Jankos, and Mithy formed a unit defined by early-game pressure and high-tempo teamfighting. What distinguished them from the previous year's G2 squad was a shared identity: speed over patience, individual mechanical flashes over slow macro scaling. This was a roster built to make opponents react, not to wait for the late game to arrive.

The defining event of this chapter was the G2–Fnatic rivalry crystallizing into the central narrative of EU LCS. Every split brought multiple high-stakes matchups between the two, and while Fnatic consistently edged ahead in split titles, G2's matches were the ones fans queued up for. The turning point that closed this chapter was the natural roster turnover at the end of 2017's international season, which set the stage for the 2018 iteration of the team.

Chapter 2: The Challenge (2018)

The 2018 season carried the same five-man core into a second year of direct competition with Fnatic. The distinction from 2017 was maturity: the roster had absorbed a full cycle of international play and returned with sharper coordination, fewer self-inflicted losses, and a deeper understanding of how to punish Fnatic's structured play in the mid game. Their matches became less about raw aggression and more about controlled chaos—forcing the right fight at the right moment.

This chapter is defined by the sustained top-two finish in EU LCS and the ongoing narrative of a team that could beat Fnatic on any given day but struggled to convert that into a split title. The turning point that ended the era was the broader reshuffling of EU rosters heading into 2019, as the league transitioned from EU LCS to the rebranded LEC and players began to move on to new chapters in their careers.

Did You Know?

• The G2–Fnatic rivalry of 2017–2018 is widely regarded by the EU community as the defining head-to-head of that era, with both teams consistently finishing in the top two of EU LCS splits.
• PerkZ's aggressive, high-risk mid-lane style during this period became a signature of G2's identity, often involving early-game dives that set the tone for the entire match.
• This roster competed during the final seasons of the EU LCS brand before the league rebranded to the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) in 2019, making it a bridge between two eras of European competitive LoL.
• Mithy's support play was noted for its reliability and peel, providing the defensive backbone that allowed Bwipo and PerkZ to take calculated risks in teamfights.