LPL got the first round at MSI 2023, can the LCK champions even the score against BLG?
With all four Western teams eliminated from MSI 2023, the “real” tournament started today with the first LPL vs LCK series, ending with JDG edging out a victory over T1 in a close five-game series. The next matchup is the BLG vs Gen.G series, which will determine the team that will face T1 in the Losers’ Bracket.
For the readers who aren’t all that familiar with the teams, you can read our individual team previews on BLG and Gen.G.
BLG vs Gen.G Preview
BLG
It’s pretty fair to say Bilibili Gaming is the weakest LPL/LCK team at MSI 2023. They are the only team among the four to get 0-3’d by another team, which was their rematch against JDG. During that defeat, and even their 3-1 series against G2, a lot of JDG’s limitations became apparent, especially their lack of consistency.
BLG has a lot of talent. Bin has been doing good even if he isn’t dominating to the expected levels, and Elk is one of the standout players of the tournament. But the young bot lane carry is also prone to making some egregious mistakes like wasting his Flash for unnecessary kills or posturing too aggressively in bad moments.
Alright maybe don’t ban Aphelios 💀 pic.twitter.com/TXTbFwo5Kv
— G2 League of Legends (@G2League) May 16, 2023
Of course, they aren’t just doomed versus Gen.G. BLG showed a lot of explosiveness so far in their decision-making and teamfighting, and they are a threat even at a deficit. And considering top lane is a weakness for Gen.G and a strength for BLG, they have a lot of angles for an upset.
Gen.G
Gen.G is great when it comes to creating leads out of pure laning and macro, and then translating that into controlled wins. They also showed a lot more willingness in this event to take early fights, and they are even winning a lot of them. Against a scrappy team like BLG, these fights will be enormous because the game can snowball really fast in the meta.
Now the biggest advantage Gen.G has over BLG is their mid-jungle duo. Both Chovy and Peanut are having a massive MSI so far, and BLG mid-jungle is very mistake prone. If Gen.G can get early leads in the mid lane, which they do most of the time, and translate that into their bot lane, they have a solid game plan.
BLG vs Gen.G Predictions
Despite their great run in the LPL and MSI, BLG looks like they are one tier below the other three remaining teams, so they will have an uphill battle against Gen.G. BLG has a decent chance to surprise, but we are expecting a clean series from Gen.G with a 3-1 scoreline.
How to watch BLG vs Gen.G
Fans can watch the event on the official LoL Esports website for the chance to earn exclusive drops from Riot, which will be available throughout the whole event. Or you can catch the action on Riot Games Twitch channel and the LoL Esports Youtube channel.
For more of our coverage during MSI 2023, follow us on ESTNN.
