G2 Esports takes easy win over SK Gaming, but fans should be scared

G2 Esports picked up a victory over SK Gaming in the 2020 LEC Spring Season to keep its spot in the three-way tie for first place with Origen and Fnatic.

G2 took SK apart in a 25-minute map that bordered on being unpleasant to watch. G2 opted for an experimental composition with Taliyah in the bottom lane. SK tried to adapt as best as they could and ended up with Sett in the mid lane.

Rasmus “Caps” Winther and Mihael “Mikyx” Mehle pushed the lane and dominated the territory surrounding the minions. Caps and Mikyx denied huge amounts of gold and experience and put SK Gaming’s bottom lane duo into a deep hole very quickly.

G2 kept the pressure on with multiple members visiting the bottom lane at the same time. SK couldn’t repel the attack or take advantage of it by making a play somewhere else. 15 minutes into the game, G2 had a 5,000 gold lead and the match was functionally over by that point. The slaughter continued until G2 took the victory around the 25-minute mark.

G2 Esports’ lack of growth should worry LEC fans

While this was a big win for G2 Esports, fans of the franchise should be a bit anxious about the team’s approach to the 2020 LEC Spring Season to this point.   

In 2019, G2’s careless and spontaneous attitude was charming. The team skated its way through two LEC splits and captured the title at the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational in a way that suggested the team might be poised for the single greatest year in League of Legends history. That plan went awry when G2 was run over in the finals to the 2019 LoL World Championship by FunPlus Phoenix. 

The G2 roster remained together following that disappointing outing, but doesn’t really seem to have learned or improved from the experience.

Now in the 2020 season, G2 looks ready to once again coast its way to victory in the LEC. This game against SK Gaming was a testament to that, and it seems like the greatest threat to G2’s chances in international events is its own complacency.

Making matters worse is that the flaws in G2’s game that were exploited by FPX remain in plain sight. The shaky early game and the questionable macro plays remain, and will likely be compounded by Caps’ lack of familiarity with the bot lane position. G2 is getting free passes on this from teams like SK Gaming, but other teams in the LEC are catching up and top teams in the LPL and LCK will likely prove to be a step ahead at this rate.