MSI 2017: G2 Esports first EU team to earn 2nd place since Season 1
G2 Esports did something that no European team has done since Season 1 at the MSI 2017.
While G2 Esports wasn’t able to secure first place against SK telecom T1 at the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI 2017), they are the first team from Europe to reach the second place spot since 2011!
Europe hasn’t seen a second place spot in a tournament since 2011, when Korean teams weren’t participating in the tournaments. Europe hasn’t been in the top two at all since the Season 1 finals, when Fnatic took the trophy home. This is what makes this MSI so exciting.
After a rough start to the MSI 2017 tournament, G2 Esports squeaked in to the Knockout stage. They were lucky enough not to get slated to face off against SKT1. Even then, they were coming in as the underdogs against Team WE.
Considering that Team WE had beaten them both times they had faced G2 in the Play In stages, nobody expected G2 to win this match up. The world was shocked when G2 Esports handily beat Team WE in a best of five games with a final score of 3-1.
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In general, the European and North American regions have not had great success in Riot sponsored competitions. Not only that, but G2 have a shaky history with international tournaments. For G2 Esports, this year is about redemption.
The last couple years have been dominated by Korean and Chinese teams when it comes to League of Legends. SKT1 took last years MSI trophy home uncontested, 3-0, against Counter Logic Gaming. SKT1 has had closer calls at Worlds, beating Samsung Galaxy 3-2 in 2016, this is the strongest showing from a European team in years.
Looking at that record, and the way G2 Esports has struggled internationally, they really showed up at MSI 2017. They fought tooth and nail to make it into the Knockout stages, proved themselves in the Knockout Stage, and even gave SKT1 a run for their money in the finals.
Every match was a nail biter for EU fans. So, while G2 may not have won the MSI championship, they have shown that the kings of Europe can compete with the best of them.