MSI 2026 Team Review: G2 Esports Defeated Giants But Lost to an Average Joe
G2 Esports had a strange run at this year’s MSI. They defeated two Eastern giants, one of which was the World Champions, T1. Those results had everyone expecting them to take down the North American first seed, LYON. However, they not only lost, but G2 lost heavily in the Lower Bracket Semi-Final. That leaves them in a weird position. Beating the East increases hope in G2, but losing to LYON reduces that down.
G2 Esports MSI Results
G2 Esports played four series at MSI. They ended with two victories and two losses.
- Won 3-2 against Top Esports
- Lost 3-0 to Hanwha Life Esports
- Won 3-1 against T1
- Lost 3-0 to LYON
G2 Esports Player Review
BrokenBlade
- Total Apex Rating – 5.2 (tied 7th among top laners, tied 34th among players)
- Champions Played
- Yasuo (3)
- Anivia (2)
- Kled (2)
- Cho’Gath
- Gnar
- Jayce
- K’Sante
- Rumble
- Twisted Fate
- Vayne
- Warwick
Besides his heroic performance against T1, BrokenBlade had an underwhelming performance at MSI. He had some use out of his counterpicks throughout the tournament, with Warwick being his best outside of the T1 series. He punished T1 with the Kled and Cho’Gath, delivering some of the best individual performances of the entire tournament. However, he fell flat days later against LYON.
SkewMond
- Total Apex Rating – 5.6 (7th among junglers, tied 29th among players)
- Champions Played
- Xin Zhao (3)
- Jarvan IV (2)
- Pantheon (2)
- Skarner (2)
- Wukong (2)
- Lee Sin
- Olaf
- Poppy
- Vi
After a promising First Stand performance, all eyes were on SkewMond to challenge the best junglers in the world. He never really stayed consistent throughout MSI. From winning the jungle matchups against Tian and Oner to getting outplayed by Kanavi and Inspired, SkewMond had a strange MSI. He encapsulated G2’s performances. When he was firing, G2 won; when he struggled, G2 lost hard. That inconsistency did not help them in both of their 3-0 losses.
Caps
- Total Apex Rating – 5.5 (8th among mid laners, 31st among players)
- Champions Played
- Syndra (4)
- Cassiopeia
- Ahri
- Anivia
- Aurora
- LeBlanc
- Mel
- Orianna
- Twisted Fate
- Viktor
Caps never really found consistent form throughout MSI. At times, he had a quiet influence on the proceedings. His biggest impact was the Syndra game against Top Esports, where he earned himself a pentakill. But even in that game, he was mostly quiet until that point. His LeBlanc game against Top Esports was his worst of the tournament, as he fell behind early to Creme, including dying in a solo kill.
Hans Sama
- Total Apex Rating – 5.0 (9th among bot laners, tied 39th among players)
- Champions Played
- Ashe (3)
- Yunara (3)
- Ezreal (2)
- Lucian (2)
- Seraphine
- Sivir
- Varus
- Xayah
- Ziggs
Hans Sama was another G2 player who performed exceptionally at First Stand. However, he could not repeat that at MSI. With the meta leaning more towards AP bot laners and AD carries playing in isolation, Hans Sama struggled. Especially in the series against Hanwha Life Esports, Hans Sama could not find his footing. He had moments of brilliance in G2’s wins but was uninspiring in their losses.
Labrov
- Total Apex Rating – 5.0 (7th among supports, tied 39th among players)
- Champions Played
- Lulu (3)
- Karma (2)
- Nautilus (2)
- Bard
- Braum
- Leona
- Milio
- Rakan
- Rell
- Renata Glasc
- Seraphine
Labrov, alongside Hans Sama, did not have the MSI performance that he would have wanted. He started well in the opening series against Top Esports. In Game 3, Rakan was lights out, setting up every positive play for G2. Both Delight and Isles got the better of him during their losses. He also started well against T1, playing a big part in G2 taking a 2-0 lead in the series. He tailed off for the rest, serving as a bystander or a liability on most of G2’s plays.
G2 Esports Team Review
If you only take G2’s wins in isolation, that had an impressive tournament. However, including their losses changes the picture. While losing to Hanwha Life Esports and LYON is nothing to be ashamed of, the way that they lost is the problem. They were second-best in the series by a long way. That can not happen for a team of this calibre, especially against other Western opponents.
G2 put all their effort into beating Top Esports and T1, so they had nothing left in the tank against LYON. In both of their defeats, the players looked lost, and worst of all, tilted. With Perks taking over from Dylan Falco for the rest of the year, one wonders where to next for G2.
More MSI Content
Below is some of the previous MSI content on Total Apex, for the team reviews.
