G2 Gozen, the defending VALORANT Game Changers world champions, will be without rising star Maryam “Mary” Maher for at least the duration of the the EMEA Game Changers Series II event, with the 17-year-old playmaker taking some extended time off to focus on studies.
Playing in place of Mary for the next EMEA Game Changers event will be Sarah Ahmed, a British player who most recently played for UK side Sabres Impact. The group stage for EMEA Game Changers Series II begins on July 3, with G2 Gozen competing in Group A and opening the tournament with a match against Anonymo Female.
Last year, at only 16 years of age, Mary captured the VALORANT spotlight when she joined the G2 Gozen roster and almost instantly became a global superstar, putting on electric performances in the initiator role before swapping over to Chamber. During their run at the Game Changers Championship, Mary’s teammate placed high expectations on the young woman from Bahrain, claiming “she’s going to be the best of everyone.”
Related: G2 Gozen rising star Mary gets Bahrain watch party buff at VCT Game Changers Championship
With the support of her teammates and fans back home, Mary was a pivotal part in G2 Gozen punctuating their already dominant 2022 campaign by becoming the first-ever Game Changers world champions, doing so in a historic best-of-five reverse sweep.
The full duration of Mary’s absence is currently unknown, but while it’s determined that she’ll be missing EMEA Game Changers Series II, it’s unclear yet if she will return for the Game Changers Championship later this year in late November.
