G2 Esports vs DAMWON Gaming

The first semifinal clash of this year's Worlds is an absolute spectacle: G2 Esports vs. DAMWON Gaming. A fight between two champions (LEC & LCK), two stacked line-ups, and two teams looking to make history in Shanghai, China.

What's not to like?

It's also packed with more narratives and storylines than you can shake a stick at. First of all, DAMWON is widely considered as one of the biggest tournament favorites, and there's a very good reason why that's the case. They've made quick work of all opposition back on home soil, and the fashion in which they steamrolled through the who's who of competitive League in the LCK is simply mind-blowing. Heck, they made it look easy, as if teams like T1, DRX, Gen.G and the rest were nothing more but mere scrubs -- they were *that* clean and dominant. And it seemingly came out of nowhere, too. We always knew DAMWON were insanely talented. Murmurs spread through the community of them destroying everyone in scrims back in 2019, but they were rarely able to translate such immense play to the stage, i.e. to perform up to expectations when it matters most. With that in mind, they were strong, dangerous, quite cohesive, but also rough around the edges. They fought their hearts out and, with some of the best laners to ever grace the stage, they found a fair bit of success. Unfortunately, it didn't matter much as they fell short against the toughest teams in the world. In fact, they already faced G2 Esports at last year's Worlds and lost handily. This time around, beating the LEC champions would not only net them a bit of revenge but also a shot at competing in the World Championship finals -- something that has eluded Korea for two long years.

The days of LCK dominance happened so long ago that they might as well be fiction. Now it's all about the LPL and the LEC, two of the best regions the world of competitive League has to offer. Still, DAMWON doesn't care much for community narratives and expectations, even though everyone's considering them as the biggest favorite to win the whole thing. In other words, they're freed from the burden of past LCK mistakes. They're still a fairly young roster and yet they've already left a mark back on home soil. They're also playing a different *kind* of game when compared to their predecessors. They're more akin to an LPL giant, rather than T1 or Gen.G of the past. They have a bit of that patented LCK macro as well, but the way they find wins and dominate teams is unlike anything we've ever seen from Korea. DAMWON has adapted to today's hectic meta, and they're the first Korean team to ever successfully do so. When you combine the strategic play the LCK is known for with a boatload of mechanical talent and a pinch of LPL-esque lunacy, you get a team like DAMWON, and what a tremendous behemoth they are.

On their path, however, stands a team that has accomplished much more, and they're not getting their due this time around for some odd reason. G2 Esports have solidified their spot as one of the best and most dominant teams in competitive League history, and yet they're not deemed as much of a favorite coming into the semifinals. In fact, one quick look at the odds tells you all you need to know. 3.15 for a team that has already beaten DAMWON (albeit a year ago), reached Top 4 at Worlds for the third time in a row, and won more LEC titles than you can count is an absolute debacle. It's a scandal, really, and we'd be stupid not to try and capitalize.

Granted, G2 didn't look all that clean throughout 2020. They had their ups and downs, although most of them can be categorized under "experimentation." Why *wouldn't* they try and push their limits when they have nothing else left to prove? Even when they looked downright abysmal, it still took them little time to outclass Fnatic in both LEC split finals. They slack off for as long as they can to preserve energy and then kick things into high gear once it matters most. Once that happens, they're the same old G2 we all know and love: clean, commanding, and perfect in execution. We've also seen this shade of G2 just a week ago when they dismantled Gen.G with staggering ease. It wasn't even a series, frankly. It was just G2 smacking the former World Champions around until their Nexus exploded three times in a row. Caps, in particular, played out of his mind and hardcarried as much as humanly possible.

That's G2 Esports in a nutshell, basically. They play to the level of their opponent, and they don't try all that hard unless there's something on the line. This time around, it's "history," so we can expect to see the best and most dominant G2 yet. Their loss to FunPlus Phoenix last year was quite a crushing one and it still lingers in their minds. They want to avenge their loss and win it all. They're well aware of the fact that if they don't win Worlds this time, there might not be another one further down the line. Line-ups like this one pop-up only once every so often, and if they don't capitalize and win it all then it'll haunt them for the rest of their careers. This might sound a bit melodramatic, but it's no less true. They were basically competing throughout the year simply for the reason to reach Worlds again. They've already won the LEC numerous times and they couldn't care less for the throne. All they want, however, is to become World Champions. They have all the right tools for the job, after all, but the road towards that point is long and arduous, to say the least. The first step -- out of the last two remaining -- is DAMWON Gaming.

G2 doesn't have as much momentum as the LCK champions, but they don't care much for the odds. The safest option here would be to bet on DAMWON, but we're going with the underdogs as the potential winnings are well worth the risk. Heck, maybe that's even an understatement.