MSI 2026 Match Review – G2 Esports Versus T1: G2 Shock the World Again by Dismantling the World Champions

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By:Devin Morris
The MSI 2026 Logo

G2 Esports in 2026 has had a successful record against LCK teams. They beat FearX and Gen.G Esports at First Stand. Now they have beaten T1 at MSI. It was a monumental performance from them to take down the LCK second seed. T1 underperformed in the series, with them struggling to match G2’s draft and pace. G2 will now face LYON in the MSI Lower Bracket semi-final.

MSI 2026: Game One Review

G2 Esports achieved history by knocking T1 out of MSI
Image of G2 beating T1 and MSI, courtesy of LoL Esports

Draft

G2 Esports – Blue Side

  • Vayne
  • Jarvan IV
  • Anivia
  • Ezreal
  • Leona

T1 – First Pick

  • Renekton
  • Nocturne
  • Cassiopeia
  • Ziggs
  • Camille

First Blood for BrokenBlade

With Doran trying to reset, BrokenBlade prevents him and earns the first blood kill. SkewMond tries to invade after losing both Scuttle Crabs, but the play fails. He and Caps die when Faker and Keria arrive. Doran gets his turn to solo kill BrokenBlade. G2 fires back with two kills on Oner. T1 looks to contest the Grubs, but it proves to be a mistake. G2 crushes the fight as they kill four in trade for one. T1 claws back at the gold deficit with all three outer towers dying.

The Action Continues

Despite the third Drake spawning, neither team plays for the objective. G2 goes for Faker right after BrokenBlade dies near the Drake pit. Oner kills SkewMond, but also dies to Caps. G2 picks up their second Drake of the game with the gold even. T1 takes a fight over G2’s Blue side jungle and earns three kills. T1 turns to the Baron with SkewMond and BrokenBlade wanting to contest. They kill Oner, but the two members die, giving T1 the Baron. T1 loses three players on their Baron siege, but they do at least get two kills back.

An Errant Baron Call

With T1 on the Drake, G2 forces the Baron. T1 win the fight and take the objective. G2 resets first for the Drake, but Peyz steals it to deny the Soul. The teams stand off until the next Drake fight. T1 takes the objective, but their dive fails. Only Faker lives, as G2 get their first Baron of the game. With Doran dying to Hans Sama, G2 have the player advantage at the end of their Baron powerplay. T1 tries to kill BrokenBlade, but he survives and T1 fall in game one.

Player Ratings

G2 Esports

  • BrokenBlade – 7
  • SkewMond – 8
  • Caps – 8
  • Hans Sama – 7
  • Labrov – 8

T1

  • Doran – 5
  • Oner – 5
  • Faker – 4
  • Peyz – 8
  • Keria – 6

Player of the Game – Caps

MSI 2026: Game Two Review

Draft

G2 Esports – Blue Side

  • Cho’Gath
  • Pantheon
  • Syndra
  • Lucian
  • Bard

T1 – First Pick

  • Yorick
  • Naafiri
  • Ryze
  • Mel
  • Pyke

Keria’s Pyke Unlocked

After Faker trades Flash with Caps in the early game, Keria arrives to earn the first blood kill for Oner. Doran dies in the top lane as the game is slow. T1 ups the tempo at 14 minutes as they pick up multiple kills. Oner and Keria overpush into G2’s jungle and die. The pace does not slow down as the teams trade kills, with the gold staying close.

G2 Explode the Game

G2 break open the mid lane tower, and Doran overextends. He and Peyz die as G2 move towards the Baron. The game slows down as G2 earn a 4k gold lead. G2 draws T1 to the Baron, and they turn once the LCK second seed shows up. Doran and Peyz die, allowing G2 to take the Baron again. T1 tries to kill BrokenBlade, but they do not have the damage. G2 ends the game.

Player Ratings

G2 Esports

  • BrokenBlade – 9
  • SkewMond – 8
  • Caps – 7
  • Hans Sama – 7
  • Labrov – 7

T1

  • Doran – 2
  • Oner – 6
  • Faker – 5
  • Peyz – 4
  • Keria – 6

Player of the Game – BrokenBlade

MSI 2026: Game Three Review

Draft

G2 Esports – Blue Side

  • Yasuo
  • Skarner
  • Aurora
  • Varus
  • Renata Glasc

T1 – First Pick

  • Gnar
  • Lee Sin
  • Sylas
  • Xayah
  • Rakan

Another First Blood for Oner

Oner ganks BrokenBlade at level three for the first blood. He does lose his blue buff for the play. SkewMond’s first gank is successful as he helps Hans Sama get a kill on Peyz. Despite the first for Hans Sama, T1’s bot lane starts rolling. They earn three kills for Peyz, while Doran died top a couple of minutes earlier. Peyz loses his lead almost instantly as G2 win the 3v3 skirmish in the bot lane. G2 extend their lead with a five-player play in the top lane. They kill four members in trade for 2. Peyz was left alone in the bot lane during the play.

The Gold Goes Back-and-Forth

Despite going down 2k gold, T1 do not relent. They catch BrokenBlade twice, and G2 tries to respond. T1 shuts down the response and returns the gold lead to their side. G2 and T1 meet at the Drake. Peyz has to use his Featherstorm on the Hostile Takeover, and then G2 collapses. G2 wins the fight and has another 2k gold lead. G2 denies T1 on their pick attempts and keeps a gold lead.

Peyz Sets T1 Up For Success

Peyz solo kills Caps, and T1 come alive again. They get the Infernal Drake and win the next fight. T1 force the issue with the Baron. Even with Oner dying, T1 win the fight and break open G2’s base. T1 close out the game with one more fight win set up by Faker’s stolen Impale.

Player Ratings

G2 Esports

  • BrokenBlade – 4
  • SkewMond – 6
  • Caps – 5
  • Hans Sama – 6
  • Labrov – 6

T1

  • Doran – 5
  • Oner – 7
  • Faker – 6
  • Peyz – 9
  • Keria – 8

Player of the Game – Peyz

MSI 2026: Game Four Review

Draft

G2 Esports – Blue Side

  • Kled
  • Xin Zhao
  • Viktor
  • Ashe
  • Karma

T1 – First Pick

  • Olaf
  • Wukong
  • Galio
  • Caitlyn
  • Lux

Volatile Lanes Early

The two bot lanes trade heavily early, which causes SkewMond to look for a level two gank. However, a ward spots him. Shortly after, Doran and Faker earn solo kills on their counterparts. It gets worse for G2 as the bot lane dies. Only SkewMond has not died in the early game. Labrov and BrokenBlade die again, but at least Doran dies in trade. G2 gets two kills back with a roam from BrokenBlade to mid, and a lane gank from SkewMond in the bot lane.

G2 with Sketchy Dives

G2 tries to dive Doran with more members, but Faker’s Hero Entrance saves him, and Labrov dies. G2 doubles down and dives Faker. They kill the T1 mid laner, but SkewMond dies. At the same time, Peyz gets the first tower in the top lane.

T1 Opening Up

T1, with the gold lead, pushes every lane and takes all the outer towers. Doran solo kills Labrov, but dies without Summoner spells. After Keria catches Hans Sama, T1 pushes further and earns two more kills. T1 overplays after the third Drake and gives over three kills alongside a shutdown to SkewMond. One more dive from G2 on Faker and the gold lead is even.

T1 Wins the Soul Point Fight

T1 crushes the Soul Point fight as G2 can not get to Peyz. T1 chases Caps down, but Peyz goes too aggressive and dies to SkewMond again. G2 tries to pull the trigger on the mid lane with T1 disconnected. The fight is scrappy, but Peyz lives. T1 throws all their bodies to keep him alive, and he earns a pentakill. G2 come alive once more as they finally kill Peyz in a fight. They deny the Chemtech Soul after Faker dies early. Doran saves the play with two kills on G2 members.

Trading Everywhere

Despite T1 earning two kills early, BrokenBlade fights back, stalling T1 and earning three kills of his own. BrokenBlade solo kills Faker and earns G2 the Chemtech Soul and the Baron. G2 take two inhibitor towers with the Baron. T1 defend their base by finding three kills at the perfect time. They use the advantage to get the Elder Drake. T1 find Caps on G2’s siege, but it does not matter. SkewMond and BrokenBlade play for the end.

Player Ratings

G2 Esports

  • BrokenBlade – 9
  • SkewMond – 8
  • Caps – 6
  • Hans Sama – 5
  • Labrov – 5

T1

  • Doran – 6
  • Oner – 7
  • Faker – 3
  • Peyz – 9
  • Keria – 7

Player of the Game – BrokenBlade

MSI 2026: Series Ratings

BrokenBlade at MSI doing his signature pose
Image of BrokenBlade at MSI, courtesy of LoL Esports

G2 Esports

BrokenBlade – 7.3

BrokenBlade had a monumental performance in this MSI series. After struggling against HLE, he stepped up in a big way. His counter picks were almost always the point of difference. The only time he struggled was on Yasuo. Both his Kled and Cho’Gath shut T1 down.

SkewMond – 7.5 (Total Apex Player of the Series)

SkewMond may not have had the flashier plays in this series. But he was always consistent. Even in the game three loss, he did everything he could to keep G2 in the game. He was also a big part in G2’s game four win, finding Peyz on multiple occasions.

Caps – 6.5

Caps had a quietly strong start to the series. Most of the plays that G2 won, he was involved in. He tailed off in the latter half of the series and even got solo killed by Faker on Galio.

Hans Sama – 6.0

Hans Sama was not really in the series. With T1’s powerful bot lane, he did not get the chance to open up. That said, he was not a cost to G2, and played as stable as he could until game four.

Labrov – 6.3

Labrov had strong performances at the start of the series. He fell off in the last two games, having struggled with matching Keria. The laning phase in Game 4 was rough, with him dying multiple times.

More MSI Content

Below is all the previous MSI content on Total Apex. You can expect more MSI articles in the following weeks.

Devin Morris is a Gaming Writer and Esports Editor for Total Apex Media. Devin is a gaming fanatic from little old South Africa. Devin has had a passion for gaming and writing from a young age. Devin's early favorites were Age of Empires, FIFA and Need for Speed games. As Devin grew older he moved into more competitive gaming, focusing on Overwatch, League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics. Devin also sinks way too many hours into Destiny 2!

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