Worlds Knockouts Day 2: Silver Scrapes

Worlds 2023 Quarterfinals - Day 2: MSI 2023's Rematch, BLG vs Gen.G

Worlds 2023, the stage where dreams come true and titans fall. This is the place where League of Legends GODS rise, and today, we witnessed their ascension!

The reigning champions of the LCK, Gen.G, faced off against the LPL contenders, BLG. The odds were overwhelmingly in favor of Gen.G, with 94.5% of the community voting for them to win, boosting their morale to unprecedented heights. However, the Chinese squad paid no heed to the odds.

In the first match of the day, chaos reigned for the Korean squad as BLG dismantled every chance for Gen.G to approach an objective. BLG secured a Drake Soul at the 20-minute mark and easily overwhelmed their opponents. Before half an hour had passed, BLG held a 7,000 gold advantage, a shocking turn of events given Gen.G's undefeated record. Bilibili Gaming outclassed Gen.G and secured the first win faster than you can say "Surrender at 20."

As the crowd watched in shock, covering their mouths and praying for Gen.G, the hometown heroes began the second game at a disadvantage. The LPL had come to Korea with one goal: to win, and they could sense victory in the air.

Just like in the first game, BLG established a significant lead by the 20-minute mark, leaving Gen.G unable to defend their base. The LCK Champions faltered in every aspect, and BLG secured another Baron buff and the Infernal Dragon soul. With the extra gold, items, and stat boost, all that remained was to march into Gen.G's base and claim the second win, this time even faster than in game 1.

Game 3 was the last chance for the LCK champions. BLG started the game with an advantage, and the home team's fear was palpable. But, as a great commander once said, fear is good—it keeps you on your toes! Despite the gold disadvantage, Gen.G fought tenaciously and gradually clawed their way back into the game. Gen.G's Doran, as Aatrox, proved to be a game-changer. After an amazing teamfight, Gen.G secured the Baron buff and finally took the lead. Slowly but surely, they snowballed to an advantage, even claiming the Dragon soul.

At 46 minutes, marking one of the longest games in Worlds 2023, Gen.G managed to take down BLG's nexus and stay alive for one more game.

The fourth match of the series seemed to have started with an alarm clock in the backstage, as Gen.G was now wide awake, and the battle we had all been waiting for was finally happening. This balanced match saw Gen.G showcasing their renowned strategic prowess against the LPL representatives.

While the match progressed more slowly, the team fights that did occur were methodical and calculated, a style only the best pros can achieve. Suddenly, Gen.G secured the fight they needed and, without concerning themselves with a clean finish or other objectives, they sprinted along the midlane to secure the win, taking us to Game 5.

Silver Scrapes

The last game of the series saw both teams playing extra cautiously, as any mistake could lead to a catastrophic loss. For the first 20 minutes, there were only three kills and a couple of drakes for each side, making it seem like securing the Baron would be the decisive call.

BLG baited the Baron buff to try and get Chovy's teleport, and Gen.G took the bait. The first real teamfight was a quick engage and disengage, resulting in a one-for-two trade in BLG's favor. The tension continued to build, but when the pressure reached its peak, things started to explode. With a swift engage, BLG eliminated Chovy and Doran and secured the Baron buff, bolstering their stats and gaining a substantial gold advantage.

Sooner or later, one of the teams had to take a risk, and BLG decided it was all-or-nothing. As they tower-dived Chovy, Gen.G hesitated for just a moment, and that mistake was enough for BLG to take a Nexus turret and retreat. BLG's bot-lane Duo were performing like we've never seen them before! At this point, it was still anybody's game, but with an inhibitor down and the Baron up, Gen.G had to respond to any engage. BLG capitalized on this knowledge, going all-in.

The final battle erupted in the Korean champion's base, and in Busan, Gen.G was eliminated by the LPL's second seed, Bilibili Gaming. Only 5.5% of the community believed in BLG, and they were proven right!

Our MVP for the series is BLG Elk!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's match: JDG vs. kt Rolster

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