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G2 Esports dominate Gen.G to reach another Worlds semi final
G2 Esports took on Gen.G in the 2020 League of Legends World Championship quarter finals and came out looking stronger than ever. Here’s how it all went down.
For the third year in a row, G2 Esports have made it to the League of Legends World Championship semi finals and European fans are starting to believe. Last year they were considered one of the favourites, but in 2020, the analysts gave the edge to the likes of DAMWON Gaming and Top Esports. But, with a 3-0 sweep of Gen.G in the quarter finals over the weekend, G2 must surely now be in the conversation.
If you missed any of the action from the Worlds quarter final between G2 and Gen.G, here’s how it happened:
Game 1
Keeping up their tradition from throughout the tournament so far, G2 didn’t start particularly strongly in game 1 against Gen.G. Of all the teams, G2 have been one of the weakest at taking objectives early, but in this series they proved that they can still defy the meta and win, just like they’ve been doing for the past two years.
Gen.G looked calm and collected during the early game, picking up Rift Herald and three Dragons quickly, putting G2 under pressure. G2 were getting a couple of picks here and there to stay in the game when it came to gold totals, but with Gen.G on the verge of taking the Infernal Soul, they had to act quickly.
They did exactly that, grouping up for a huge team fight in the top lane before the fourth Dragon spawned. Gen.G’s lead quickly fell apart as G2 got three kills before taking the Baron buff as well. Suddenly, it was Gen.G on the back foot and G2’s lead quickly spiralled out of control after a clean ace in the next team fight. Gen.G’s only hope from there was to try and sneak Baron, but G2 reacted well, swept in for the clean-up, and then used the long death timers to push their opponents’ base and end the game.
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Game 2
G2’s long winning streak against Korean teams looked set to continue, but Game 2 didn’t start well for G2, as in a sudden burst of action, Martin ‘Wunder’ Nordahl Hansen had given up first blood up in the top lane, while Park ‘Ruler’ Jae-hyuk got a double kill on the other side of the map. However, as usual, G2 were quick to respond, getting a few kills of their own shortly after to keep gold fairly even.
G2 have found it harder than normal in the current meta to play around carry junglers and the bot lane, so in game 2, they went back to basics. Midlaner Rasmus ‘Caps’ Winther went hunting on his Sylas, and picked up kill after kill, snowballing his gold and items well beyond what Gen.G could deal with. Once again, G2 were giving up a handful of neutral objectives, but they showed that it didn’t matter if you can simply outplay and kill your opponents.
Caps ended up going 11/0/11 on the Sylas, thanks in part to a fully stacked Mejai’s Soulstealer, as he pulled off incredible play after incredible play, sometimes escaping with just a sliver of his health remaining. The deeper we go into the tournament, the more we’re reminded as to why Caps is still considered one of the best mid laners in the world.
Caps carried his team in the second game
© Riot Games / Flickr
Game 3
Having seen their European rivals Fnatic get reverse swept by Top Esports the day before, G2 were on their guard to not let the same thing happen to them. There are no easy games at Worlds and you need to make sure you execute, even when ahead, as teams with enough quality to get to the quarter finals can pounce on the smallest of mistakes.
It was comforting therefore to see G2 come out swinging in Game 3. They blew an enemy Flash early on and even managed to get the first Dragon, something they’ve rarely done at Worlds so far. Caps was allowed back on Sylas, but this one was more of a team effort, with all the lanes performing well, as G2 drew out to another healthy lead.
This time it was G2 threatening to take the Infernal Soul, although Gen.G did find a good skirmish near the Baron to give Korean fans hope. G2 quickly dashed it though, as they won the next team fight around Dragon, took the Infernal Soul and simply had too much for their opponents to deal with. From there, it was a simple task to break open the base of Gen.G, and finish off the 3-0 sweep.
G2 will face South Korean opponents again in the semi final when they take on DAMWON Gaming on Saturday. DWG will most likely pose a much bigger threat than Gen.G, based on recent performances, as they also won their quarter final 3-0 against DRX. It will be a clash of styles, as DWG will be looking to fight around objectives, while G2 have been finding favourable engagements elsewhere on the map, thanks to good mobility and roaming. G2 are always confident, especially against LCK teams and they’ll be looking to use their momentum to make it back to the Worlds final once again.
If G2 do make it to a second final in a row, it’s likely they’ll be facing the favourites, Top Esports, who face Suning this weekend. Fnatic may have lost to TES in the quarter final, but they did win two games of the series and looked convincing while doing so. The Chinese are not as unbeatable as they have been made out to be and G2 will be looking to exploit their weaknesses if they can get past DAMWON Gaming.
