First Stand 2026 Match Review: G2 Shock the World
LCK and LPL have not lost a game to other competition at First Stand. The odds began stacking against G2 Esports. FearX’s draft priorities were off during the series. They did not draft for dominant bot lanes. G2 took advantage of that fact. They were also better in the teamfights and crushed BFX 3-0 to qualify for the First Stand Knockout Stage. It is the LEC’s first best-of-five series win against the LCK since 2020.
First Stand 2026: Game One Review
Draft
FearX – Blue Side
- Gnar
- Vi
- Ahri
- Yunara
- Neeko
G2 Esports – First Pick
- K’Sante
- Xin Zhao
- LeBlanc
- Ashe
- Seraphine
Early Chaos
Diable punishes Caps, looking for an early ward, chunking him before the lane starts. However, it puts Kellin and Diable in danger. G2’s bot lane pressure both of them, burning Flashes and backing early. Kellin tries to delay Hans Sama’s base, but SkewMond arrives to earn the First Blood kill for Hans Sama. Hans Sama’s arrow lands on VicLa under the G2 Tower. It helps Caps earn a kill and recover in his lane.
G2 Keep the Drake Stacking
BFX calls to bring Clear down for the second Drake. BrokenBlade responds with his Teleport. G2 catch VicLa and Raptor to force BFX away from the Drake and earn their second Drake of the game.
The Gold Swings
In a chain of plays, BFX gets two kills. Both kills allow them to get the bot and mid tower. As a result, BFX is ahead in gold, with the biggest gold leads going to Clear and VicLa. Raptor dies in two separate teamfights for the Ocean Soul. In the second fight, G2 got two kills, the Ocean Soul and Baron.
Hans Sama Caught
Kellin’s flank lands a Pop Blossom on Hans Sama. He dies, but G2 cleans up the fight without their fed Ashe. They take the first Elder Drake of First Stand and then head to Baron. While holding Exodia, G2 barrels down and closes out the game.
Total Apex Ratings
G2 Esports
- BrokenBlade – 7
- SkewMond – 9
- Caps – 6
- Hans Sama – 8
- Labrov – 7
FearX
- Clear – 4
- Raptor – 3
- VicLa – 6
- Diable – 5
- Kellin – 4
Player of the game – SkewMond
First Stand 2026: Game Two Review
Draft
G2 Esports – Blue Side
- Ornn
- Jarvan IV
- Azir
- Corki
- Nami
FearX – Blue Side
- Rumble
- Nocturne
- Mel
- Kai’Sa
- Rakan
Early BFX Lead
VicLa dies for First Blood as SkewMond visits the mid-lane with Cataclysm. Caps and SkewMond try to kill Kellin and VicLa in the Grubs fight. VicLa dies, but BFX kills mid-jungle and Labrov.
The 3v3 Is In BFX’s Advantage
BFX comes out on top in two consecutive 3v3 fights. Raptor and VicLa each have a 1k gold lead over their counterparts. The scraps continue throughout the map. The teams trade kills, and therefore the gold lead remains at 2k for BFX.
BFX Pulls the Trigger
BFX slowly increases their lead with dive executions onto G2. Labrov is the target in most of the plays. They chip away at G2, eventually getting a 5k gold lead. BFX overplays with the Baron on G2’s bot tower. They give over four kills, with two shutdowns going to Hans Sama.
Nail-Biting Fights
G2 and BFX battle for multiple minutes. BFX has the advantage, but once again, they dive too far. In the extended play, G2 has the advantage and denies the Mountain Soul. The crazy fights continue. They battle over the teamfight, and in the end, G2 earns five kills for three deaths to set the gold even. For the second time in a row, G2 crushes the teamfight. They prevent the Mountain Soul again and get the Baron for their first significant gold lead of the game.
A Final Hurrah
Kellin flanks behind on G2’s Baron push. They catch Hans Sama, but that is the only kill they get. G2 clean up the rest of BFX and end the game.
Total Apex Ratings
G2 Esports
- BrokenBlade – 8
- SkewMond – 8
- Caps – 5
- Hans Sama – 9
- Labrov – 8
FearX
- Clear – 6
- Raptor – 5
- VicLa – 5
- Diable – 3
- Kellin – 6
Player of the game – Hans Sama
First Stand 2026: Game Three Review
Draft
G2 Esports – Blue Side
- Sion
- Pantheon
- Zoe
- Sivir
- Alistar
FearX – First Pick
- Jayce
- Maokai
- Syndra
- Varus
- Poppy
Early Opening For BFX
Raptor steals the first Drake of the game, and BFX translates it into two more kills. Hans Sama does pick up a kill on Raptor in trade.
G2 Punishes BFX’s Mistakes
Kellin overextends on the setup for the second Drake. G2 kills him and moves towards the objective. BFX tries to contest, but with BrokenBlade’s Teleport, they kill Diable and Raptor. G2 continues to dominate the map, shutting down BFX’s plays and making plays of their own. Instead of contesting the third Drake, BFX makes a play in the bot lane and earns two kills to take away some of the gold lead.
Another G2 Teamfight Win
BrokenBlade tanks all of BFX’s poke. A Sleepy Trouble Bubble on VicLa is the go signal for G2. They kill all BFX members, which allows them to take the Chemtech Soul point and Baron. The Chemtech Soul fight is more of the same G2 winning to end the game. They qualify for the First Stand Knockout Stage.
Total Apex Ratings
G2 Esports
- BrokenBlade – 8
- SkewMond – 8
- Caps – 7
- Hans Sama – 7
- Labrov – 8
FearX
- Clear – 4
- Raptor – 5
- VicLa – 3
- Diable – 3
- Kellin – 4
Player of the game – Labrov
First Stand 2026: Player Summary
G2 Esports
BrokenBlade – 7.7
G2 was on tank duty for the series. He was perfect throughout, having his only death in the final game.
SkewMond – 8.3
SkewMond has faced heavy criticism for his international performances. He put those critiques to bed, winning the Total Apex player of the series.
Caps – 6.0
Usually, when G2 wins, Caps are at the forefront. He took a backseat today. The team carried him to victory despite his weak performance.
Hans Sama – 8.0
Hans Sama struggled against Bilibili Gaming. Facing Diable, many expected that to continue. When the dust settled, he was the best AD carry in the series.
Labrov – 7.7
He redeemed himself today. Alongside Hans Sama and SkewMond, he carried G2 over the line.
FearX
Clear – 5.0
Clear had the winning matchups in every game. He built leads in isolation but could not translate that to teamfight wins.
Raptor – 4.3
Raptor took control of the mid-game in game two. He then overextended on multiple plays. The rest of the series, he died in bad positions.
VicLa – 4.7
VicLa was given resources during the series. He had the advantage over Caps in laning, but did not impact teamfights.
Diable – 3.7
Diable has been the best player for BFX this year. However, the team did not draft for him. His performance was also not good enough.
Kellin – 4.7
Kellin tried his best to find angles in fights. His Rakan missed multiple engagement attempts. It was Kellin’s worst performance at First Stand.
First Stand Impact
G2 advances to the Semi-Final of the First Stand Knockout Stage. They will play against Gen.G Esports in that match.
More First Stand Content
The articles below will provide more information on the First Stand event and the team’s participation. You can expect further preview and review coverage of all the matches taking place in the coming week.
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