The E-Sport Legend ‘Perkz’ Brings his Attack Damage Carry to the North American Circuit

Eight time continental champion, the Croatian is one of the best League of Legends players that Europe has known and is set to reach North America with Cloud9 in the coming days. But who is he? Luka “Perkz” Perković is a 22-year old professional e-sport player from Zagreb, Croatia who began his rise to fame after signing with the French team GSI in 2014. He has shown amazing skill playing in both the bot lane and mid lane, something that Cloud9 will be keen to capitalize on after they failed to qualify for Worlds 2020 for the first time in the organization’s history. Signing Perkz to the team may be a sign that Cloud9 is about to turn their luck around.

Perkz Gains Notoriety during His Career with G2

At the start of the 2015 season, Perkz joined G2 e-sports (formerly known as Gamers2), a Spanish professional e-sports organization located in Berlin, Germany where he participated at the International Invitational Tournament. Perkz would go on to help G2 win eight League of Legends European championships (LECs), including sweeps in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020. While with G2, Perkz also led the team to victory at the Mid-Season Invitational in 2019, and he went on to earn the Rookie of the Split award, along with four team awards in the LEC. On top of this, Perkz took home the Most Valuable Player award at the IEM Season XI World Championship. On the international stage, Perkz has helped G2 e-sports qualify for the League of Legends World Championships every year, ensuring the team reached the semifinals in both 2018 and 2020, with a stunning 2nd-place finish in the 2019 championship.

Perkz began by playing the mid-lane role, heavily influencing the centre of the map, but in 2019 switched position to the bot lane, holding the attack damage carry position and allowing fellow mid-laner Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther to shine.

Perkz stayed with G2 e-sports until the 17th of November 2020, when they announced he would be leaving the team after five years. A touching video on G2’s website honors the player, saying, “After five unforgettable years with G2 Esports, today we say goodbye to our legendary player, Luka “Perkz” Perković throughout numerous iterations of G2 e-sports, Perkz has been at the forefront of the team’s success thanks to his mechanical skill, tactical knowledge, leadership, and unmatched dedication.”

Perkz Heads to North America after his Acquisition by Cloud9

On the 20th of November, Cloud9 – an American professional e-sports organization based in Los Angeles, California – announced they had signed Perkz to the team, stating, “Cloud9 is thrilled to announce the signing of Luka “Perkz” Perković as the starting Mid Lane for the LCS team! After a tenure with G2 e-sports that was nothing short of legendary, Perkz now makes his first foray into the North American League of Legends circuit. We can’t wait to see his talents on full display in the upcoming season!”

One of the main points for Perkz joining Cloud9 and the LCS was the opportunity to reunite with his former teammate Jesper “Zven” Svenningsen. The duo dominated the League of Legends European Championship while with G2, winning multiple titles and pushing Korean Team SK Telecom (SKT) to their limit, something which was unheard of at the time.

Perkz deal is reportedly worth around $5 million, which makes Perkz one of the most valuable e-sports players of all time. Remembering that for the first time in Cloud9’s history they failed to qualify for Worlds in 2020, there is no doubt that Cloud9 is hoping to capitalize on Perkz versatility and experience playing alongside Zven.

Photos : lequipe.fr