The whole G2 squad thinks IG will be dominated by T1

With the S15 Worlds soon to begin, Riot has refreshed the power rankings for the event. LCK’s GEN, HLE, and T1 occupy the top three positions, while LPL’s AL, BLG, and TES follow at fourth, fifth, and sixth. Meanwhile, the all-star team IG performed so erratically in playoffs and the play-in stage that they failed to break into the top 10, landing at 11th place. Teams ahead of IG include CFO, KT, G2, and FLY.

FEN

Currently, because the LCK's overall strength rating surpasses that of the LPL, Riot has deemed it the region most likely to win Worlds. Many viewers, upon seeing this ranking, have grown concerned about IG’s prospects, especially since the gap between T1 and IG is so wide. As a result, many IG fans worry that IG will be thoroughly defeated by T1 in the S15 play-ins. Moreover, the entire G2 roster openly admitted in interviews that IG will be swept by T1, citing the simple fact that LPL teams have never won a single BO5 against T1 during Worlds.

Does GEN “hate” T1 too much?

Although outsiders doubt IG’s chances against T1, IG fans recently received encouraging news: insiders revealed that LCK champions GEN have proactively invited IG for scrims. Many IG supporters celebrated this, since GEN has consistently dominated T1 domestically. If IG can learn how to counter T1 through scrims with GEN, they might have a chance to cause an upset during the play-ins.

However, many T1 fans are baffled by GEN’s actions. Some even think GEN “hates” T1 too much. Last year, before the finals, GEN’s assistant coach leaked T1’s warding habits and early game positioning online. This year at the Oil Cup, GEN used T1 as a "stepping stone" to the championship. Now, in an effort to stop T1 from advancing to the main Worlds event, GEN is even willingly scrimming LPL teams. (Of course, some spectators worry this might be a ploy by GEN to mislead IG and extract their play-in strategies.)

Zhu Kai earnestly urges IG not to scrim GEN

After news broke about IG scrimming GEN, LPL champion coach Zhu Kai sharply criticized the idea, saying it’s not beneficial. He believes IG’s drop to the fourth seed in LPL was partly due to scrimming GEN. Zhu Kai revealed that IG’s draft picks and strategies currently resemble GEN’s closely, especially GEN’s confident Kaisa and four-protect-one bomb setup during the LCK finals, which makes him believe the two teams have been scrimming each other.

However, Zhu Kai thinks scrimming GEN is pointless and could mislead IG. He points out that GEN is a team built around mid laner Chovy, whose drafts always aim to comfort him. Chovy is skilled on many champions; for example, when mid Ryze faces Orianna, Rookie’s Ryze was crushed by “Little Cream’s” Orianna, but Chovy’s Ryze can dominate against Zeka’s Orianna. Zhu Kai frankly admits that if IG wants to beat T1 in the play-ins, they cannot blindly imitate GEN, as the mid lane skill gap between the teams is too large.

Conclusion

Do you think IG scrimming GEN is a good thing? Many viewers also criticize Riot’s rules as unfair. After all, IG and T1 are the most popular teams in their respective regions, yet they meet so early in the play-ins. Meanwhile, many wildcard teams appear in the main event. Many believe that whether IG or T1 gets eliminated early will seriously impact the S15 Worlds. Do you think Riot will revise this rule in the future?