Team Liquid vs G2 Esports

It is only fitting to have a West vs. West clash on the last day of the Group Stage. Not only does such a match-up excite fans spread across the globe, but it's also enticing and alluring for the players themselves.

No matter if a team finds success or not, there is always the ever-present clash between two regions many thought were equal in strength up until 2018. For one reason or another, Europe, as a region, bested North America in every conceivable regard. The results always spoke for themselves, but you could always attribute Europe's flashes of brilliance to the few teams that were able to single-handedly carve out a spot for themselves in the history books.

But in 2018 that changed irreversibly. Europe displayed an unprecedented amount of skill and prowess, and was able to trade heavy blows against the titans of the LPL and LCK. They stood shoulder to shoulder, and their play left no one indifferent. So coming into this year's Mid-Season Invitational, both regions had different amounts of hype, momentum, as well as expectations.

North America really didn't have to do much -- but after assembling such a stellar championship-winning roster, one had to wonder: will this be the year Team Liquid leaves a mark on the international stage? Europe, on the other hand, already proved its worth, but everyone was anticipating a repeat performance. After all, a region is only as strong as the many titans it can produce.

We've come to the last day of groups, and it's fair to say that both regions realized what was most expected from them -- fans didn't expect much from Team Liquid and have been adequately left disappointed, whereas G2 Esports soared high, and are obviously the second best team in the tournament right now. Had it been any other way everyone would've been surprised, but in the current state of affairs, there's no question that was left unanswered; no doubt in anyone's mind.

G2 Esports already disposed of Liquid in relatively one-sided fashion, and this upcoming clash should be no different. They're simply playing on a different level; they're much more cohesive, flexible, aggressive, proactive, willing to fight at all stages of the game, and perhaps most importantly -- they're all better players at this point in time. There's not a single lane that Liquid has an edge in -- not even the bottom lane.

And even if someone on G2 slips up and makes an egregious blunder, they can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they have four other world-class prodigies to pick up the heavy load. G2 can win through any lane they want, and that, paired with their spectacular flexibility, is of the utmost importance in the current meta.

No matter what Liquid comes out with, G2 will have an answer. That's a given. They are simply too strong right now to drop a game to a team of Liquid's caliber. That doesn't mean they're invincible or infallible -- we know they aren't, especially considering the fact that they've actually lost to Vietnam's own Phong Vu Buffalo, but this match is different. There's regional pride on the line, and you can be sure that every G2 member wants to dominate and style on their North American adversaries.

In the end, we simply have to side with the LEC champions on this one. They have too big of an edge in order to lose at this point, and while it might not be as one-sided and dominant as most people expect, they should, by all means, be able to get the job done and lock down sole possession of second place.