At MSI 2024 so far, alongside the crucial matches in the Play-In stage and the debut of the championship contenders, perhaps the most anticipated match is G2 Esports vs. T1. The audience could not hide their excitement when the draw from Xiye pitted Faker against Caps once again. The two mid-laners of their respective teams are among the rare players who have never changed jerseys since reaching the pinnacle of their careers. They also form one of the most storied rivalries in the world of League of Legends today.
Considering Faker, throughout his long and tumultuous career, he has faced numerous opponents from various teams and regions around the world. Some of these players were once deemed as “the nemesis of the Demon King,” with PawN being a prime example. Xiaohu has also consistently been part of the teams that defeated Faker’s SKT T1/T1 at various MSIs. However, if we were to name the player who has caused Faker the most grief and continues to perform at the highest level, it would be Caps – the mid-laner and current spearhead of G2.
Looking back, calling Caps Faker’s “hard counter” is not far from the truth. According to statistics leading up to the matchup at MSI 2024, Faker and Caps have clashed 6 times in international tournaments from 2019 to now. Surprisingly, the “Demon King” of League of Legends has only secured 2 victories against his younger counterpart. Notably, almost all of these 6 encounters were BO3 or BO5 matches. The only exception was in the Rumble Stage of MSI 2022, where the two teams played 2 BO1 matches, resulting in 1 win and 1 loss for each side.
G2 has always been known for their unpredictability and volatility in each of their matches, starting from the draft phase. However, for Caps specifically, this will be the first time he faces Faker without his close teammate and mentor, the “genius” Jankos in the jungle. Alongside Caps, Jankos has been one of the longest-serving players in G2. But since the superstar born in 1995 left the team, G2 seems to have yet to find anyone who can perfectly replace him to coordinate with Caps on the international stage.
For his part, since suffering two consecutive defeats to G2 in international tournaments back in 2019, Faker has experienced many ups and downs but has regained his peak with the championship trophy at Worlds 2023 recently. Oner has also shown a very different face internationally, and when he is in top form, G2 will likely find it difficult to create an upset against T1.
Nevertheless, as the orchestrator of his team’s gameplay, the performance of both Faker and Caps could determine the outcome of the T1 – G2 matchup. Regardless of the result, it can be said with near certainty that this will be one of the most captivating matches of the group stage at MSI 2024.