As LCK Summer 2022 kicks off, the League of Legends community is almost unanimous in believing that T1 will once again dominate the tournament. Simply put, Faker and his teammates had a flawless Spring 2022. And since Gen.G Esports (Gen.G) and DWG KIA (DK) had yet to prove that they could truly challenge T1 at that time, it’s entirely understandable that Faker and his team were rated higher than the rest of the LCK.
However, up to now, Gen.G has demonstrated much better performance compared to T1. It is Chovy and his teammates who are currently the number one contenders for the LCK Summer 2022 championship. But is this summer truly Gen.G’s season?
It still heavily relies on individual brilliance
Gen.G is undeniably a star-studded team. However, bringing together a team full of stars has never been easy. Moreover, even though Chovy, Lehends, and Doran have played together before, that was a long time ago. As a result, in several matches during Spring 2022, Gen.G displayed a certain degree of disconnection. This has somewhat improved in Summer 2022, and that is a positive sign.
However, Gen.G has also often depended on the brilliance of their stars, most notably AD Carry Ruler and Jungle Peanut. These two names have consistently shown perfect performance throughout Summer 2022. But the reality is, if Gen.G wants to truly compete for the title, they need to fight like they did against T1 and DK rather than becoming a “one-man team.”
Chovy needs to prove himself
Among the two players considered brightest for the title of “Faker’s successor,” Chovy is the player who has yet to grab any titles. Unlike ShowMaker, Chovy’s career has been much more challenging, even though he is truly a rare talent in the LCK and the League of Legends scene since Faker’s time.
However, the reason Chovy remains title-less partly lies within him. Chovy has consistently struggled in crucial matches, with the LCK Spring 2022 finals being the most recent example. In that match, an aging and unfit Faker even outperformed the former star of Griffin.
Chovy needs to demonstrate more influence, contributing to the team rather than just being a minion-clearing machine in his games. Only then can Gen.G truly win, not just at LCK Summer 2022 but also at the upcoming World Championship.
Composure in crucial matches
As of now, Gen.G has a record of 35 wins and 5 losses, achieving an impressive 88% win rate, which is a strong indicator that they could indeed achieve championship status. However, none of this will matter if Gen.G falters in the playoffs or at the LCK Summer 2022 finals.
What Gen.G needs is the mentality of champions. Currently, only Ruler and Peanut are the two players with titles. And they are also the most stable performers at Gen.G. However, Ruler and Peanut cannot carry the team forever. Doran, Lehends, and especially Chovy must prove that they truly deserve the championship they have spent their careers searching for.
In the playoffs, there will be no more experiments, and every match will be a final. Gen.G will certainly have to be cautious. Because trivial losses like in the match against KT Rolster on the afternoon of August 13 (Vietnam time) could cause Chovy and his teammates to face yet another disappointing season.