In League of Legends, the European champion G2 Esports has had some strange days. At the MSI 2022 tournament in LoL, they qualified for the semifinals despite 5 consecutive losses. They particularly rallied against their rival Evil Geniuses from the USA. But in the semifinals, there is no time for jokes: Because in the semifinals, on May 28th, T1 and Faker, the long-time rivals, are waiting for them.
This is how it went for G2 in the Rumble Stage:
- At MSI 2022, 6 teams, the champions of their regions, competed against each other in the “Rumble Stage.” Only 4 teams advanced.
- The European representatives, G2 Esports, won their first 4 games, including against the favorites T1 (South Korea) and RNG (China): They were looking great.
- But then G2 lost the next 5 games in a row. Even total underdogs like the Saigon Buffalos suddenly won against G2, who had previously won 24 games in a row. It was like a curse.
She will be the next new champ in LoL:
Lost 5 times in a row – Yet slid into the knockout stage
Because the other games went in G2’s favor, they could actually qualify for the semifinals despite the fifth loss in a row. The tension was gone before the last Rumble match.
The long-time jungler of G2, Jankos, commented on this nonchalantly:
„0-5 and we made it to the knockout games. Our job here is done.”
Jankos
Completely broken G2 defeats US team and the fans celebrate it
What broke the losing streak? In the last game of the Rumble Stage, it was precisely the North American team Evil Geniuses waiting. Europe and NA share a long-standing rivalry: Fans and players frequently tease each other.
Before the tournament, the NA champion, Evil Geniuses said they were clearly better than G2 Esports.
But throughout the tournament, G2 had repeatedly won against Evil Geniuses. And indeed, even this time, G2 managed to win against EG despite the terrible losing streak.
Jankos, always in good spirits:
„We felt somewhat lost during the 0–5 run, but it’s good that North America always has our back!”
The saying is commented on with numerous memes; people love to give North Americans a hard time.
A little more seriously, the German-Turkish top laner of G2, Broken Blade, dealt with the losing streak. He said that the opponents quickly and well adapted to G2’s playstyle. However, G2 learned a lot from the losses:
Semifinals on Saturday against T1 will be the most important match of the year so far
What’s next? In the semifinals, there is now no time for jokes: On Saturday, May 28th, G2 Esports must face T1. They had announced before the tournament that they would eliminate them from MSI 2022.
But the team led by Faker will not make it easy for them. Faker and T1 want revenge for the times G2 eliminated them from major tournaments. The series between G2 and T1 is likely to be the highlight of the LoL year so far for all fans.
Update: May 28th, 10:33 AM: Right now, on Saturday morning, the semifinal between T1 and G2 is running. For those who want to watch, here is the link.
