Recently, Inven Global – the leading esports news outlet in South Korea, published an article discussing the concept of “nemesis” for the LCK region ahead of the upcoming Worlds 2021. The name mentioned as the most vivid and “haunting” example is none other than G2 Esports.
Before DAMWON Gaming defeated G2 in the semi-finals of Worlds 2020, South Korean teams had some rather unpleasant memories when facing the most successful team in Europe. G2 had previously defeated both Gen.G Esports, DAMWON Gaming, and SKT T1 in past encounters, even when they were consistently considered the underdogs.
Compared to their confrontations with LPL teams, LCK teams have not experienced as many bitter defeats as when facing G2. This is especially true for SKT. The 2019 Dream Team, which dominated domestically, completely crumbled against G2 in both encounters at MSI 2019 and Worlds 2019, both in the semi-finals.
Inven Global believes that G2’s spontaneous playstyle is the key that helped them counter the disciplined and somewhat rigid strategies of the LCK during 2019 – 2020. This was a time when the skill level of players worldwide was no longer significantly different, making the structured playstyle of Koreans somewhat outdated.
In the case of SKT 2019, they executed control incredibly well, but when they made a mistake, all plans fell apart. They couldn’t come up with backup options to rectify that mistake. Meanwhile, on the other side, G2 showcased a more flexible approach, playing adaptively and spontaneously, quickly changing their tactics based on the dynamics of the game.
It wasn’t until DAMWON 2020 – a more perfected version, returned to Worlds that G2 finally faced their match. DWG at Worlds 2020 still maintained the trademark playstyle of Koreans, but in terms of personnel, they were outstanding compared to the Korean teams that had previously been defeated by G2, boasting youthful energy, skill, peak performance, and both experience and resilience honed from their participation in Worlds 2019.
However, at this moment, DWG KIA is showing some signs of stagnation. Although they are still the LCK champions, their weaknesses in the bottom lane have become quite apparent. This is why Inven Global believes that if G2 were to appear at Worlds and the two teams met again, DK might not necessarily hold the upper hand.
Thankfully, everything remains hypothetical. If DK has only slowed down a bit, G2 has even plummeted without brakes, missing out on a ticket to Worlds for the first time in the team’s history. MAD Lions – the reigning European champions, are seen as a formidable opponent, as they also possess a playstyle similar to G2, earning the nickname “the Mad Lions of Madrid.” However, it’s clear that MAD is not yet a name as concerning as G2, according to Inven. Because when it comes to the level of “madness” in gameplay, if those jesters ranked second, no one would dare to be… on Sunday.