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MSI final G2 vs TL
MSI final G2 vs TL
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MSI Finals Recap: G2 Esports vs Team Liquid

Nick ButtsBy Updated:4 Mins Read

“Today, regardless of the outcome, the West can feel happy and proud that both these teams made it to this point.” Caster Andy “Vedius” Day captured the feeling of the day perfectly, as two Western teams faced off in the MSI Finals today for the first time in history. Speculation was everywhere, but few predicted that it would be the fastest International Best of 5 ever.

Game 1

The Crowd Control from G2’s composition helped them come out of early skirmishes ahead, and eventually paid off with first blood going to Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle in the Bot Lane. With nobody willing to back off, the fight extended long enough for Jo “CoreJJ” Yong-in to return to lane, just to die again. With Teleports coming through for each team, G2 walked away with 3 kills in the Bot Lane to start the game.

The momentum didn’t change, and regardless of who the aggressor was, G2 came away the victor each time the teams clashed. With a kill count of 22-2 by then time G2 took down the enemy Nexus, the only kills that came through for TL were from tower dives. It was hard to imagine a more dominant performance from the European side.

 

Game 2

G2 Esports were riding high after their initial win being so one-sided, and that feeling only increased as they locked in the Pyke pick that carried them over SKT T1 just yesterday. First Blood went over to G2 in the Bot Lane again, this time picked up by Marcin “Jankos” Jankowski.

Team Liquid was not done yet, though. Capitalizing on the hubris of some deep G2 tower dives, they were able to even things up, and take a slight gold lead heading into the Mid Game. Jung “Impact” Eon-yeong played a huge role, making up for a struggling Bot Lane despite facing the infamous Martin “Wunder” Hansen’s Pyke.

The lead was not enough to shut down G2, and they responded by outplaying TL in Mid Game team fights. Every member of G2 Esports looked impressive as they methodically dismantled their enemy. The game was eventually won by a team fight-winning Slicing Maelstrom, but unfortunately for NA fans, it came from Rasmus “Caps” Winther’s Sylas rather than Impact’s Kennen. G2 took down TL in under 30 minutes to take the series to match point.

 

Game 3

Team Liquid needed to make an impressive stand to come back from the 0-2 deficit. G2 knew this, and looked to keep the pressure on, forcing a flash out of Jake Kevin “Xmithie” Puchero before minions spawned. Though they attempted to play cautiously, the Team Liquid Bot Lane gave up first blood for the third time in this series, Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng dying once again to Mikyx.

In one of the most impressive plays of the tournament, Caps took advantage of the long cooldown wasted by Nicolaj “Jensen” Jensen’s missed stun, and committed to the 2v1 in the Mid Lane. He made great use of Irelia’s kit, and got the 2v1 kill before being joined by his Support who kept him alive and secured the second.

An 8k gold lead at 14 minutes showed just how dominant G2 was in this Game 3. Every player was at the top of their game, and their teamwork was nearly impeccable. An Ace at 17:30 led to an 18 minute victory, setting a world record for the fastest international Best of 5 ever.

G2 Esports lifted the trophy as the best team in the world, and there was little doubt that they deserved it. They went the distance to defeat SKT T1 in the Semifinals, and dismantled their opponents today in the Finals. There is still a lot of League of Legends to be played before 2019 Worlds, but at the moment, G2 look ready for anything, both at home and internationally.

 

Find the rest of Nick’s articles here. If you would like to contact him or keep up with him, follow him on Twitter @_mrdantes.

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