ORDER vs G2 Esports

This isn't exactly a premier match-up, but you probably knew as much. ORDER, to the uninitiated, are the LCO champions and are, therefore, the quintessential wildcard representative. They're neither overly impressive nor do they have a particularly high skill ceiling. They're just... okay, just like their many forerunners.

G2 Esports, on the other hand, are the most respected and successful Western LoL organization of all time. The disparity between these two is astronomical. There's no other way to put it. It is a most tremendous gap, which doesn't necessarily mean the game itself is going to be a lopsided blowout. We still think G2 will win, but the playing field *has* been leveled. Of that much you can be certain. Everyone's playing on a brand new patch (12.8), there have been numerous meta-usurping balance changes, and the context from which they're scheduled to play -- a quarantined Busan -- is bound to affect them as well. Things, therefore, aren't as clear-cut or straightforward as one would expect.

Will G2 be able to huddle up and deliver? The pressure is on them to perform, to dominate, and to win with ease. ORDER, on the other hand, will be playing without even the smallest amount of pressure. They're the quintessential underdogs, a team with nothing to prove and no expectations to meet. That's a pretty darn good position to be in, as they can do whatever they want and compete without any burden whatsoever.

Be that as it may, G2 Esports have won a whopping twelve games in a row over on home soil and have looked nigh unstoppable against teams that are much more capable and talented than ORDER -- Europe's finest, if you will. If they could pull off such a tremendous lower bracket run (against some mighty stiff opposition, no less), then there's really no way whatsoever for us to bet *against* them in this particular situation. Whether they'll be able to best Evil Geniuses still remains to be seen. We're not totally confident in the outcome of that one, but a game against ORDER is about as "easy" a win as they're going to get throughout the entirety of the Group Stage, so they would be wise to prepare well and play to the best of their ability, lest they risk getting upset.

In any case, a skirmish-heavy affair is bound to take place -- and we would have it any other way!