VCT Masters Shanghai Playoffs Upper Final: G2 Vs. Gen.G

Photo Credit: Riot Games / Liu YiCun

Map 1: Lotus (G2 Pick Gen.G start CT) 

What would eventually lead to Pacific's first international trophy, this match solidified GenG's domination of the competition at the time. Heading into this head-to-head, G2 presumably wanted to punish a weak map of GenG, after poor performances versus Fnatic and Fun Plus Phoneix the previous week. Instead, we saw a revitalized GenG honed to take a convincing one-map lead and eventually the series.  

GENG Defaults / G2 Flaws (7-0)

Other than a hard read setup on pistol GenG stuck to two variations swapping another when either met any resistance : 

GenG Def Default Lotus 

Consistently fighting for A-Main and rubble, pressuring for rotation and anchoring C while playing for retake on B. Getting a couple of kills every round from just the first scuffle meant any momentum was swung toward GenG leading G2 helpless. Another thing to note was while G2 Opted to rotate to B or C through breakable or mound respectively, this tended to be on eco rounds, whereas full buys started by fighting for A main/lobby. However, with limited options due to GenG's unwillingness to push beyond Rubble, G2 spiraled, often walking into stacked sites or fighting for risky positions like B heaven post-plant.

G2 Bounce back (7-5) 

2nd Variation( Lakia odin spam for A main control/ Karon C Paranoia off contact) 

With a viper wall of their own, G2 took full advantage of their odin from Trent to apply pressure on the A players from GenG while allowing his team to explore the rest of the map. Off of a full buy round that saw G2 take C successfully on 4 ults, G2 would go on to take 5 rounds in a row to end the half. This is mainly due to good mid-round calls from Valyn, punishing GenG's lack of mid-round info without A main presence. The second G2 acknowledged GenG's strong side( ex. A 3-stack previous default), they regrouped for a fast C hit, overwhelming the anchoring Meteor before the remaining GenG could rotate. While solo C means that they could put more bodies on A pressure, it also means they have no mound info. G2 is well aware of this and consistently makes the correct calls snowballing to the end. 

✂️ Valyn Masterclass

One round to highlight is round 11. After losing one early in the round, G2 quickly pivoted to an open B site and plant while fighting for breakable, they made sure to play off-site with lockdown still available for GenG. Valyn plays from A lobby smoking for G2 while also securing flank and later denying the defuse from that same position locking a pivotal round for G2. 

Gen.g closed out a strong attack half and a 2-0 series score. On a map with a higher attacker round win rate, it highlighted the importance of early presence on rubble and mound. Both teams have continued the season on a strong note clinching 1st seed into Grand finals appearances for Americas and Pacific respectively. It seems inevitable that we get this same match-up at Champions 2024 and that will be the game to watch.