G2 is regarded by LPL audiences as the "LPL-friendly team," and many fans label them the LPL's "third seed." From S9 onward, G2 has been assisting LPL teams in winning titles by eliminating LCK teams in every international event and then reaching the finals to concede the championship to the LPL. That's why many LPL viewers hoped G2 would replicate their First Stand storyline at MSI—back then, G2 consecutively eliminated BFX and GEN, helping BLG claim the ultimate victory.

G2 indeed lived up to fans' expectations at MSI. In the second round of the losers' bracket, G2 defeated the LCK's second seed T1 with a 3–1 score, making MSI history as the first LEC team to beat both an LPL and an LCK team in a BO5 series (TES lost 3–2 to G2, T1 lost 3–1 to G2). T1's mid-laner Faker also suffered his worst personal international performance ever—previously, his worst result was reaching the semifinals, but this time he was eliminated in the top six.

After G2 defeated T1 for the first time in 2,439 days, many T1 fans were devastated. T1's official social media quickly responded, stating that they "did not show their best competitive form" in this match and promised to return with better performance in the future. A large number of T1 fans believe the main reason for the loss was top-laner Doran's poor performance—over the four games against G2, Doran was outmatched by G2's top-laner BB, who earned MVP in three of them. Some even calculated that Doran was the most solo-killed player at this MSI; he faced five top-laners and was solo-killed a total of nine times across those matches.

Of course, many viewers argue that it's not that Doran is weak, but rather that G2's top-laner BB is exceptionally strong. BB's champion pool is impressively deep—he has mastered picks like Vayne and Yasuo top. In the decisive match between G2 and T1, BB's Kled stunned all casters and viewers, single-handedly leading G2 to a comeback victory over T1. After the game, BB's Kled earned the MVP award with 15 kills.

Peyz left the venue alone after the match, ignoring his teammates

After T1's loss to G2, many LoL fans felt sympathy for T1's AD carry Peyz, believing he was the victim of a "carry while losing" scenario in this BO5. In the first game, Peyz played Ziggs with an 8/1 scoreline, and fans joked that T1's base would explode every time he died. In the decisive game, Peyz played Caitlyn and helped T1 build a lead of over 5,000 gold in the mid-to-late game, but his teammates didn't protect him during teamfights, resulting in terrible damage output for Peyz. Even though he secured his career's 16th pentakill in that decisive game, it wasn't enough to secure a win for T1.

Perhaps feeling humiliated by losing to G2 in a BO5, Peyz left the venue immediately after the match, which violated LCK regulations. According to official rules, any eliminated team must say goodbye to the on-site fans. An LCK official even went to T1's waiting room to bring Peyz back. Nevertheless, many viewers think it's understandable for Peyz to have some temper, as T1 currently relies almost entirely on him to carry.

Conclusion

T1's loss to G2 is indeed unexpected. However, after watching all of T1's MSI matches, I'm really curious whether top-laner Doran will still start in the third split. From the perspective of both viewers and insiders, Doran appears to be the team's biggest weakness. Since T1 is known for developing young talent, many speculate that they might try a new top-laner in the third split. What do you think—will T1 change their top-laner for the third split?