Team Liquid vs G2 Esports

Quite frankly, after witnessing the four one-sided shellackings yesterday, it's really hard to give North America the benefit of the doubt, regardless of the match-up.

Everyone hoped that we would witness a somewhat even fight. Obviously, everyone thought Europe would ultimately prevail, but no one could have foreseen such a blow-out. It's not even fun to watch, depending on who you ask. North America just can't mount an offensive. It is as if the meta changed over night, and they simply didn't get the memo.

To lose is one thing, and it's perfectly acceptable. To lose in such fashion, however, is downright staggering and surprising. No one could have imagined such a seismic fall from grace.

Now, obviously, the region had the night to think things over. Rift Rivals carries no significance in the grand scheme of things, but after getting outclassed to such a degree, you have to think they're angry. And then some. This was supposed to be a seismic clash of titans. A fight between two Western rivals. Two perennial giants. And yet it's nothing of the sort. It's like a fight between a solo queue team of randoms and a professional team filled with Challenger players. That's how it looks like.

And that stings, we're sure of that. To be so outclassed by every European adversary is stuff nightmares are made of. They're not gonna hear the end of this. Constant mocking both in real life as well as social media. For a tournament that doesn't matter, they're going to hear about it. A lot.

So you can be sure they're coming in today with vengeance in mind.

That doesn't mean they're going to attain it, but still. They're going to fight like their lives depend on it.

This match-up, in particular, is somewhat hyped, and it's not because it's a clash between two regional champions. Team Liquid is, by far, the only team from North America that actually managed to put up a fight yesterday. They had a solid fight against Fnatic, but eventually succumbed to the immense pressure and team play that the former Kings of Europe brought to the table.

It was a hectic game filled with excitement and constant skirmishing, and the boys in orange and black took the win. It was a pretty even fight throughout the entire early game, but once Fnatic forced Liquid to respond in the mid game, the North American champions were unable to step up and get the job done. Once that happened, it was all downhill for Jensen and his veteran comrades.

Fnatic eventually created an insurmountable lead and it was game over for Liquid. It was all a matter of formality at that point. The fact that they lost to Fnatic when they had a substitute jungler is yet another sign of the current status quo. Liquid, as good as they are, simply can't compete with Europe's best. Not even close.

They might be able to take down Origen, but even that's an optimistic stretch at this point.

But this time around they're going up against G2 Esports. Again.

In the end, this is a repeat of the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational, and we all remember how that one ended. It was the fastest international final in League of Legends history. G2 Esports needed just seventy minutes to dispose of Team Liquid -- in a Best of 5. Let that one sink in. The meta didn't change, nor did anything else for that matter. G2 Esports is still as crazy and dominant as ever. They're the best team Europe has to offer. In fact, they're the best Western team in history. The team with the most confidence and ability. A team of unparalleled strength and flexibility. They simply play the game on another level, and there's not anything that Liquid can bring to the table that G2 isn't already aware of. They don't have anything new to add, or to surprise G2 Esports with.

And that's a shame. That means we're siding with the LEC champions, and with full confidence. There's simply no other logical conclusion at this point. While it might be a bit closer than most people expect, G2 Esports should be more than capable of getting the job done.

That said, you never know how serious G2 is going to take this. They might go all-in and just dominate across the board, or they might decide to have a bit of fun. Either way, it's going to be a must-watch.