Esports
G2 Esports are once again the champions of European League of Legends. Here’s how they progressed through the 2020 LEC Spring Split and came out on top in the Grand Finals.
The theory was that Fnatic would be favourites going into the 2020 LEC Spring Finals, but if G2 Esports have proved anything over the last couple of years, it’s that they don’t do things by the book.
In Game 1 of the final, it quickly became clear that this again was the case – G2 had won straight from the draft phase. Fnatic over-pushed on several occasions trying to gain an advantage, and the power of G2’s scaling on champions like Azir and Kog’maw took over the game.
Inexplicably, G2 were gifted almost exactly the same composition in Game 2, and this time their win came even quicker. Last year in the Spring Finals, G2 beat Origen in the fastest best of five in LEC history, and looked on track to do something similar.
Fnatic managed to gain a slight lead in Game 3, but in the end, the result was the same. Caps ended up taking over the game on Aphelios, and although it wasn’t the fastest ever, it was still a quick 3-0 for the reigning champions.
G2 Esports have now drawn level with Fnatic on seven European titles, although as CEO Carlos ‘Ocelote’ Rodriguez pointed out in an interview during the final that G2 have only been around for half the time. It’s a seventh title for Perkz as an individual, too, who's now by far and away the most decorated European player of all time. And while the final result was emphatic, the tournament up to then indicated a much tighter competition.
The road to the final
History was definitely on the side of G2 Esports in the grand final, but let’s take a look back at how G2 got there this split.
Fnatic mostly dominated their playoff opponents all the way up to the final, and when G2 lost their first outing to MAD Lions, many thought the tide had shifted. But memories are short in esports, and form is only temporary.
It’s only been a few weeks since G2 topped the LEC Spring Split by a clear margin, Fnatic lost to the league’s bottom ranked team in Vitality and G2 beat Fnatic in both of their matches in the Spring Split. In fact, Fnatic have never beaten G2 in the regular season or a playoff series since Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther joined the team back in late 2018.
After losing out in the Worlds 2019 final in November, G2 got back to business. They kept the same roster, and when the LEC started up again in January, they picked up where they left off in Summer Split, winning game after game.
But Week 4 came around and losses to both Misfits Gaming and FC Schalke 04 almost derailed G2’s season, with the likes of Fnatic and Origen breathing down their necks at the top of the standings. Another loss the following week to MAD Lions had people wondering whether G2 had lost the spark.
By the next week, G2 were back as if nothing had happened. After losing three of their last four, G2 ended up winning the last eight games of the Spring Split going into the playoffs.
Things didn’t quite go to plan, though, as they lost out to MAD Lions in an incredibly close best of five. Luka ‘Perkz’ Perkovic and Caps surprisingly swapped roles at the start of the season, with Caps going down to the bottom lane for the first time in his LEC career.
G2 came back strong from their defeat to MAD Lions in week one of the playoffs, with Caps getting a Pentakill in his very first game against Origen in the lower bracket of the playoffs. Once again, G2 bounced back to their best.
After knocking off Origen in convincing fashion 3-1, G2 then got their revenge over MAD Lions in the semi-finals with another 3-1 victory. This was the momentum they needed going into the final against Fnatic, and in the end, it turned out to be their easiest win of the playoffs.
Now, after emphatically claiming victory, the players have a longer-than-usual break until the start of the Summer Split thanks to the delays to this year’s Mid-Season Invitational. Once it rolls around, G2 will once again be poised to win yet another title and progress to the World Championships later this year.
G2 have proved their doubters wrong and shown that they are once again the best team in Europe. They made it to the Worlds final last year. Can they go all the way in 2020?
