Introduction: The S16 season has officially begun, and most players have been closely following the recent competitions. The matches across major regions have been extremely intense. The LCK region now only has two games left, where two teams will compete for a spot in the World Championship. The LPL's post-New Year clashes are also about to start. In contrast, the European region's matches have been very exciting, especially the well-known G2 team. They advanced to the playoffs with the second-to-last ranking in the regular season but then went undefeated with a 7-0 record in the playoffs, storming all the way to the final. This is the true powerhouse of the European region, having reached the LEC finals ten times in a row.

G2 is the real regional overlord.

Most players are quite familiar with the G2 team. As a veteran powerhouse in the European region, they have enjoyed immense popularity and attention for a long time. Back in the S8 season, G2 made a name for themselves by fiercely eliminating the then-favorite RNG team, making a global impact. Over the past few years, G2 has experienced many ups and downs. In S9, they won every championship except the World Finals. Since then, they've undergone numerous roster changes and have now mostly been building around caps.

During the regular season, G2's performance was not particularly impressive, possibly due to the BO1 format's unpredictability and their own playful style. After defeating FNC in the last match, G2 advanced to the playoffs ranked second to last. Many thought the European region had changed, since both FNC and G2 were at the bottom, so how could other teams perform well? However, G2 completely awakened in the playoffs, giving their opponents no chance, winning all three matches with a 7-0 record to reach the European finals.

It's clear that G2 previously loved to have fun too much. Their match against MKOI was relatively easy: one game lasted 33 minutes, another 27, and the last 36, with G2 consistently leading economically. The toughest game was the third, where G2 only trailed by 2000 gold. Ultimately, jungler Skewmond was named MVP, achieving a 23-7-29 record over three games. Notably, since the 2023 LEC Summer Split, G2 has reached the European finals for the tenth consecutive time, a feat that astonishes all players.

Many fans jokingly say that G2 is the true king of the region, while T1 is just a fake overlord. Honestly, it's hard to understand T1. Why do they always face various issues at the start of each season? Last season was no different; they also failed to qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational. Currently, T1 has paused all streaming, likely to focus on intensive training during this break. They need over a month to adjust properly, or else problems may arise in the second and third splits. It seems peyz still hasn't fully integrated into the team, as many of his detailed plays haven't come through. As the youngest LCK champion, his skill is definitely there.

Farewell thoughts

It feels like G2's performance in the region is like a roller coaster—sometimes great, sometimes poor. When they want to win, they can easily secure consecutive victories; when they want to have fun, they might even rank last but still qualify. Caps is now chasing his 16th championship. If he wins, his Hall of Fame status will be well deserved, as no other pro player has achieved such a record regionally—Faker only won ten league titles. It seems the organizers made a big decision here, probably because Caps’ Hall of Fame skin sales might not be very high.

What do you all think about this situation?