G2 Esports has won the playoffs in the European league of League of Legends. Although the team dropped to the loser bracket in the first round against Fnatic, they made a strong comeback from there and won 12 matches in a row. A significant contribution came from the German player Sergen “Broken Blade” Çelik.
What have the last years been like for G2 Esports?
- From 2016 to 2020, G2 Esports was the dominant team in Europe. They won 8 out of 10 possible tournaments and crowned this in 2019 with the victory in the international MSI tournament and a second place at the Worlds.
- In 2021, G2 aimed to become a European super team. They bought the strongest Western AD carry at the time: Rekkles. He is considered a strategic farmer who wins in the late game. However, G2 Esports played a very aggressive, chaotic style that did not fit together. They did not win any titles and even missed qualification for the Worlds – the first time since their entry into the LEC in 2016.
- For 2022, they rebuilt again. They brought in two young talents from the “second league” and the German top laner Broken Blade, who had previously stirred a lot of excitement at Schalke 04. And the plan worked.
G2 Esports dominates Fnatic and Rogue in the playoffs
What happened in the playoffs? As the team in 4th place from the regular season, G2 Esports faced Fnatic in the so-called winner bracket. If a team loses there, it drops into the loser bracket and can fight its way back to the finals. However, if you lose in the loser bracket, you are out.
The first match in the playoffs, however, was quite one-sided and in favor of Fnatic. They won 3:1, sending G2 Esports to the loser bracket.
However, the team around superstar Caps turned it up significantly. The experienced jungler Jankos and the German player Broken Blade were particularly convincing.
G2 Esports won 3:0 against Team Vitality, who had built something like the new super team of 2022. They then also won 3:0 against Misfits, thus setting up a rematch against Fnatic, which was about reaching the finals.
Could G2 Esports win this time? Yes, and quite clearly with 3:0.
- In the first match, jungler Jankos impressed with his ganks and secured early kills for his team, which G2 Esports was able to build on. They played much more strategically and safely overall than in recent years.
- In the second match, mid laner Caps and rookie ADC Flakked were convincing, as they were able to secure early kills and control the game.
- Match 3 was the closest of the series, but was won by G2 Esports due to a strong team fight in the endgame. A steal of the Dragon Soul by Jankos was also an important turning point:
How did it go in the finals? In the finals, the team Rogue awaited, who had previously beaten Fnatic 3:2 and had beaten G2 Esports in both regular league matches. Everyone expected a victory for Rogue and some even anticipated a significant defeat for G2.
But things turned out differently. The three veterans Jankos, Caps and Broken Blade showed dominance. While Jankos and Caps dominated in the middle time and again, Broken Blade made several individual plays, such as this kill against his opponent Odoamme, which occurred in the final third match during a significant deficit for G2.
It was precisely with such actions that the German-Turk motivated his team time and again:
What are the statistics after the playoffs? G2 Esports won 12 of their last 12 games in the playoffs, achieving a total of 13 wins and 3 losses, all of which came from Fnatic in the first match.
In terms of KDA, ADC Flakked stands at the top with an 8.2 – 72 kills, 23 deaths and 114 assists. Broken Blade is in 3rd place with a KDA of 5.0 (via gol.gg).
Broken Blade wins league in America and Europe
How was Broken Blade’s career? Broken Blade is one of the best-known German LoL players and started his LoL career in 2016 with the Mysterious Monkeys. Later, he moved to Galatasaray Esports, Dark Passage, Galakticos, and Royal Bandits, four teams from Turkey.
Broken Blade became known in 2018 with his transfer to TSM. There, he won the Summer Playoffs in 2020 and participated in the World Championship. In 2021, he returned to Europe and played a season for Schalke 04. He also impressed there with his performance, which is why he moved to G2 Esports a year later.
He is one of three players who have won both the American LCS and the European LEC. His next title could be won in May at the Mid-Season Invitational, taking place in May. There, he will face major opponents like Team T1 with superstar Faker, who dominated the 2021 season in Korea:
LoL: A 19-year-old is the best player in Korea – and he plays the most thankless role
