Excluding the loss to Top Esports at the 2024 Esports World Cup, Gen.G is the only team maintaining an undefeated streak since the LCK Summer 2024. This is a truly impressive achievement, showcasing how perfect the current Gen.G roster is. Of course, records come with pressure, and recently, in a match against Dplus KIA, Gen.G had an “unbelievable” game 1 where ShowMaker and his teammates defeated them without any kills. However, since Gen.G ultimately won the match and extended their winning streak, their undefeated record is still intact.
However, recently, Gen.G’s Coach Kim made a controversial statement. He believes that the team’s undefeated streak will eventually end. The issue is that the reason he provided is not due to a strong opposing team, but rather an implicit acknowledgment that Riot is impacting Gen.G’s playstyle. Coach Kim stated: “I always thought our undefeated streak would end someday, we would lose. But right now we are practicing some new strategies. The only problem is that in the upcoming patch, both Corki and Tristana are being nerfed, and those are champions that Gen.G excels with.”
In reality, slow adaptation to the meta is indeed one of the reasons why professional players may not perform well. However, the crucial aspect in a match is that a team wins when they perform better than their opponents and capitalize on even the smallest mistakes of their rivals. Therefore, for a team positioned as a championship contender like Gen.G, a loss and the end of their undefeated streak (if it occurs) would likely be due to them simply not performing as well as their opponents.
Holding an undefeated streak and being placed under high expectations is both a motivation and a pressure for League of Legends players, and Gen.G is no exception. Their status has changed from the past as Gen.G is the reigning champion of MSI 2024. However, whether they can complete the Golden Road remains to be seen in the performances of the players, and the loss against DK is the first warning sign.