Gen.G beat G2 in the first playoffs match of MSI 2023

The bracket stage of MSI 2023 started exactly as we expected, with a quick victory for Gen.G Esports against G2 Esports. What is surprising is that G2 managed to win one game in this best-of-five, making excellent use of Annie and Xayah. But in the other three games, Gen.G simply destroyed them.

The fact that the South Koreans won should not surprise anyone. After all, this is the team that managed to beat T1 in the Grand Final of LCK Spring 2023. But what is interesting is how they won. The efficiency of their playstyle was phenomenal.

Gen.G vs. G2

Game one started well for Gen.G and it didn’t take long for their champions to get their first core items. The team’s Ahri player ended the battle with a flawless score: 6 – 0 – 15. He had 286 last hits in just 27 minutes. That’s more than 100 last hits per 10 minutes.

G2’s defensive champion composition, which heavily relied on Braum, could not stand a chance. And in terms of map movements, Gen.G were far better than them.

Game two was an absolute disaster for the Europeans. Gen.G won in less than 20 minutes and punished their every move. The decision to pick champions like Annie and Jinx proved to be a bad idea against Blitzcrank and Maokai, who were able to close the distance very easily.

Gen.G’s Aphelios ended the game with 13 kills and just one death, while their Blitzcrank had 12 assists. Maokai also had eight assists and zero deaths. By anyone’s standards, this game was a complete stomp and a LoL masterclass.

In game three, G2 gave us hope. Their decision to pick Kennen for the second time was ambitious and quite confident in light of what had happened in game two, but they made it work somehow. This time, Gen.G’s draft was not that amazing and as time went on, their team fight composition became weaker and weaker versus G2’s.

Game four was an excellent opportunity for Gen.G to show that they can play on a knife edge. They picked champions like Jinx and Tristana, but then gave them the protection and front line they needed by also picking Lulu and Elise.

Meanwhile, G2 picked Kennen and Poppy again, clearly hoping to win for a second time with the same strat. But this time, Gen.G were ready. The game ended after just 30 minutes.

Header: Riot Games