From the perspective of South Korean professionals, the European League of Legends is somewhat like a children’s birthday party. This can be inferred from a statement by Choi “Zeus” Woo-je (20). The top laner of T1 was asked if he considers the European exceptional team G2 to be the strongest LoL team in the West. His answer was honest and somewhat something we probably do not want to hear here.
What did Zeus say? Zeus was asked if he considers G2 to be the best team in the West. His answer was:
“I believe a lot of people think they are really good and maybe they are the best team in the Western region. But I also believe that being good in the LEC and playing well internationally are two quite different things.”
Zeus is the top laner of T1 and a teammate of Faker:
20-Year-Old Faces Off Against “The Best That the West Has to Offer”
In what context is he saying this? Currently, the MSI 2024 is being played in China:
- G2 is the top representative of the European league LEC and is just starting the tournament
- T1 is the second representative of the South Korean league LCK and has already played 2 matches, both of which they won 2-0. Thus, they contributed to the quick end of FlyQuest
The teams are now set to face off in a duel in the 1st round of the main stage. The match will be played this Friday.
Zeus Shows No Respect for the ‘Boogeyman G2’
Why does this hurt so much? Fans in the West have long accepted that South Korea and China are simply one to three tiers better than teams from the USA and Europe.
But G2 has always been an exception to the rule. For a while, G2 was even considered the ‘boogeyman’ of T1 because they could achieve important victories on the international stage against Faker and his team.
In 2019, there was the legendary scene when Faker even trembled, when G2 turned out to be the stronger team:
That is why it was always thought—or at least hoped—that South Koreans would at least respect G2 and their star player Caps.
But the statements from the young Zeus now seem to indicate that little respect is left from what G2 had earned back in 2019.
The 20-year-old Zeus really hit his stride during the 2023 World Championship in LoL and helped Faker secure his fourth World Championship: LoL Worlds: After Years of Failure, T1 and Faker Become Dominant Champions
Update 15:08: At the moment, Zeus might regret his statement. The score is 2:2 between G2 and T1.
Update 15:15: Oops, T1 wins 3:2. G2 falls into the Loser’s Bracket and has to face PSG Talon. T1 will face Bilibili Gaming in the next round.
