Gen.G become LCK 2022 Summer champions

After defeating T1 in yesterday’s 2022 LCK Summer Finals, Gen.G won their first LCK title. Some viewers and especially T1 fans can only sympathize, as the game turned out to be completely different from what was expected from the finale.

Usually, T1 are considered the best League of Legends team, but this time, Gen.G didn’t even break a sweat and the trophy was in their hands. Despite all the efforts of T1, the season in the LCK ended for them with a crushing 0-3 defeat.

This is the first LCK title for all Gen.G players with the exception of Han “Peanut” Wang-ho, who was named MVP of the final best-of-five series. Both finalists qualify for Worlds, but the regional title goes to the underdog.

Unexpected series

In the run-up to the decisive series, T1 star player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok said in an interview with InvenGlobal that the finals of the LCK are just as important as the Worlds. With hopes of victory, however, he acknowledged Gen.G’s strength and the fact that their team play had become much stronger since the Spring split. Faker also admitted that his team had faced some difficulties in the Summer Split as they lost a few matches.

Still, he seemed confident about making sure T1 emerged from the split with the trophy in hands. Faker said he had expected a tough series, with his team looking at a 3-1 or even 3-2 draw. Probably nobody expected this final result.

Gen.G roll over T1

Before the Grand Final series began, players and fans faced an unexpected foe that paralyzed games — an unknown network glitch, which delayed the start of the series by more than an hour.

In typical LCK fashion, both teams played the first game slowly and methodically. The lengthiness didn’t seem to deter either team, as carries from both sides farmed their way into full item builds that do well in team fights. Much to T1’s chagrin, Gen.G had gained a large lead through epic objectives that put them in control of the team fights, including a quadra kill for Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk’s Zeri to end the game for Gen.G.

In contrast to the pace set in the first game of the series, a powerful roaming team comp from Gen.G helped them gain quick control of game two. Gen.G’s support Son “Lehends” Si-woo had chosen Singed, a rather uncharacteristic choice that allowed him to run through the gap with ease and give Faker a hard time in the mid-lane. In 20 minutes, T1 didn’t have a single kill or objective, while their opponents rewarded themselves with items they needed to maintain their lead. The Infernal Drake Soul was the final piece of the puzzle that allowed Gen.G to defeat their opponents and reach the series match point.

To increase the pressure on Gen.G, T1’s Moon “Oner” Hyeon-joon picked Vi to make it easier to gank the team’s lanes. This gave the team fast first blood and an early gold advantage, but that early lead seemed to dissipate mid-game. Gen.G Ruler and Lehends again managed to pull off the dreaded Zeri-Yuumi combo, rolling over T1’s front and back lines. Although T1 got some objectives, they were no longer able to stop Ruler’s Zeri, who could catch up with any opponent who didn’t run away from her in time.

In the end, T1 top laner Choi “Zeus” Woo-je watched the entire Gen.G roster storm T1’s base and secure the LCK champion title. The LCK Regional Finals will determine the third and fourth LCK teams allowed to go to the Worlds.

Gen.G deserved the loud standing ovation and praise from the community that they got. Not only did they have a phenomenal run throughout the LCK playoffs, but they ended the split with a record 17-1 final score.

At the beginning of the year, no one would have said that Gen.G would be able to reach such a height. Yes, they had huge potential, but the roster needed time to play with each other after the reshuffles. Now, the guys are going to Worlds 2022, probably in their best shape.

Header: Gen.G