Buzz
Despite showing dazzling form during the summer season, Gen.G falls short in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championship.
Consequently, the top seed from the Korean region has officially exited the 2022 World Championship. The League of Legends team, Gen.G, faced defeat against Dragon-X with a score of 1-3, watching their opponents advance to the final match. It's an unexpected turn of events considering Gen.G was highly esteemed by industry experts. So, what's happening with the reigning LCK champions at this year's Worlds?
Decline in Performance from All 5 Members
All members of Gen.G are struggling to find their form in this year's tournament. Doran, the top laner, continues to be regarded as the team's weakest link. Throughout Worlds 2022, he has failed to shine, particularly in crucial matchups. As for Peanut, despite reaching peak performance during the summer split, this player seems to lack focus in games, rarely making the impact he used to, often falling prey to opponents in sensitive situations.
At Worlds 2022, there were high expectations for Chovy to become the new legend of LoL following Faker's retirement. Gen.G fans also anticipated the stellar performance of this young talent. Despite teammates prioritizing resources for Chovy, the mid laner failed to truly stand out in this year's tournament.
Gen.G's bot lane duo stands out the most at Worlds 2022. Despite a rocky start in the group stage, Ruler begins to find his rhythm as an ADC. Lehends' performance is closely intertwined with Ruler's, fulfilling his role seamlessly. In summary, all 5 members of Gen.G are playing below expectations in this year's tournament.
Making Numerous Individual Handling Errors
During this year's journey at Worlds 2022, Gen.G performed best during the second half of the group stage. However, as they entered the knockout stage, the rate of individual handling errors for Gen.G surged. In the match against Damwon KIA, Gen.G's consecutive misplays in movement and coordination led to their defeat in games 3 and 4. Heading into game 5, the top seed from Korea had to rely on Ruler's brilliance to secure their spot in the semifinals. Gen.G even came close to letting their opponents successfully stage a comeback after an excellent flank by Canyon in the deciding game.
Transitioning to the semifinals, Gen.G's handling error situations become more apparent. Doran's use of Ornn's Ultimate lacks effectiveness, while his positioning in team fights is problematic. Moving into game 3, the top laner frequently mispositions and ends up on the death counter up to 5 times. As for Peanut, he plays distractedly, frequently caught out, overshadowed by Pyosik from Dragon-X.
As for Chovy, the most anticipated player of the tournament played a forgettable Bo5 match. He frequently made mistakes in crucial situations like Azir attempting to stall for minion score and getting caught out in game 3, or hastily teleporting as Ryze in game 4. These seemingly simple situations have a huge impact on the outcome of a professional LoL match. Moreover, Zeka's Galio out-farms Chovy's Ryze.
Gen.G's bot lane duo continues to showcase themselves at Worlds 2022. After a shaky start in the first 3 matches, Ruler gradually regains form and carries Gen.G on his shoulders. If it weren't for Ruler's outstanding performance in the Quarterfinals, the top seed from LCK might not have made it to this Semifinal match. However, both Ruler and Lehends have yet to display their full potential as they did in the past summer split.
Lack of Competitive Spirit
In intense matchups, the element of competitive spirit is crucial. At critical moments, the team leader will set the pace for the entire team, stabilize their mentality, and lead the players down a distinct path. Therefore, the reigning LCK champions lack a captain who can shoulder significant responsibilities, especially when their team is behind.
Upon closer observation, we can see that Gen.G struggles mentally in matches that determine the fate of the whole team. They suffer from heavy psychological burden, lack cohesion in gameplay, and feel immense pressure weighing down on their shoulders. Hence, they frequently mishandle situations, falter in spirit, and fail to find a way to successfully turn the tide. In the match against Damwon KIA, Gen.G's weaknesses began to surface. Moving into the Semifinals, the top seed from Korea exposed all their flaws and fell to the 4th seed Dragon-X. Of course, the global LoL community cannot deny Dragon-X's exceptional performance in this year's tournament.
