Entering the match against Bilibili Gaming at the 2023 World Championship (Worlds), Gen.G, as the reigning champion of LCK and a top contender for the championship, was naturally rated much higher. Not to mention, BLG had just suffered a defeat not long ago against T1 – the team that lost to Gen.G in the LCK Summer 2023 finals. Therefore, Gen.G not only needed to win but needed a convincing victory to “avenge” MSI 2023. But then all hopes were dashed as Gen.G fell in a tense BO5.
No one knows why a strong Gen.G against T1 could make such incomprehensible plays against BLG. Facing the LPL representatives, it feels like Gen.G is no longer themselves. It was BLG – the team from LPL that demonstrated a better macro play and calmness compared to Gen.G, even when they were trailing significantly. Meanwhile, Gen.G continuously made mistakes, and if BLG had played more carefully, the match might have ended in the third game.
Notably, Gen.G’s defeat further extends this team’s poor record against LPL opponents when stepping onto the international stage. Specifically, from 2018 until now, Gen.G has only won once in a BO3 or BO5 series against LPL representatives, which was a 2-0 victory against LGD Gaming (actually 2 BO1 matches in the group stage). The rest, Gen.G has suffered total defeats. Both of their most recent losses have been against BLG, first at MSI 2023 and now at Worlds 2023.
It is worth noting that in their losses, Gen.G almost always displayed a completely different face compared to their usual performance or in LCK matches. Clearly, the opponents from LPL are not significantly stronger than them. However, it is the collective self-destruction of the Gen.G members that has been the crucial factor leading to their defeats.
The 2023 season seems to have ended for Gen.G. There will be a lot of work to do, but undoubtedly, Gen.G will need to reflect on themselves because at this very moment, when everything should be ripe, they are even worse than in 2022 when they couldn’t even reach the semifinals of a World Championship.