G2 Esports win inaugural LEC Winter Split, punch ticket to MSI with victory over MAD Lions

G2 Esports kicked off their 2023 League of Legends competitive season by climbing to the summit of Europe for the tenth time. The team delivered MAD Lions a crushing defeat by closing the final series of the Winter Split without losing a single game while mesmerizing their fans in the LEC studio and at home with peculiar draft picks. In addition to winning the first-ever LEC Shield, they have also locked in the first spot for the 2023 MSI, which will be held in May in London. 

MAD Lions shattered the G2 era in 2021 by winning back-to-back titles, but they could not oppose them this time. G2 reclaimed the throne on their terms: with a proactive style, mind-blowing draft picks, and a perfect symbiosis between raw individual talent and teamwork. 

In their third LEC final in a row, G2 dominated the Rift uncontested for the first two games thanks to the team’s cohesive playstyle that shut down MAD Lions completely. With Yike’s ganks and Mikyx’s continuous roams, G2 had control of the Rift, leaving their opponents to walk blindly in their own jungle. 

The first victory was only a preview of what G2 was cooking behind the scenes, and it was in game two that they served the full course to MAD Lions. 

Although G2 were in the lead and applied a lot of pressure around the map, MAD Lions initiated various advantageous skirmishes. But this initiative alone wasn’t enough to take down G2’s coordinated playstyle, who turned around the engages and capitalized on their opponents’ mistakes. 

Not for the first time in the matchup, the last game was also the most hard-fought one. MAD Lions took the lead from the start thanks to Elyoya’s ganks that brought many advantages to his team across the map. They were in the driving seat for the majority of the game, punishing their opponents for every little mistake they made and collecting objectives from all over the Rift—until G2 decided it was enough. 

In a decisive fight in the top lane, G2 turned the tables and started closing the gap that MAD Lions had grown in the past 25 minutes.  Fight after fight, G2 kept shutting down their opponents, and despite Elyoya stealing a Baron under their’ noses, nothing could stop them from closing the series. 

For the third time in a row, the LEC Split Final ended with a 3-0 scoreline as G2 celebrated their tenth title in the region, snatching the first ticket to the 2023 MSI. The first Split of the year has just ended, but LEC players and fans have only a couple of weeks to relax and recompose themselves before the Spring Split begins on March 11.