As the final hope of the LCK, LoL Worlds 2026 participant Gen.G has taken its first step toward claiming the World Championship title after 9 years. Despite falling behind in early objectives, the team secured a thrilling comeback victory driven by their signature combat focus.
Gen.G faced Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in Game 1 of the finals held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on the morning of November 15 (KST), winning 19-4 in 38 minutes and 59 seconds thanks to stellar performances by Ruler, Park Jae-hyuk, taking an early lead in the series.
Using the coin toss to secure the first choice, Gen.G opted for the blue side. BLG exercised their choice as a counter-pick, creating a subtle sense of tension from the start. Gen.G completed their composition with Lee Sin, Syndra, Olaf, Corki, and Nami as their first-pick sequence on the blue side. BLG countered by selecting Renata Glasc, Kalista, K’Sante, and Jarvan IV to finalize their lineup.
The early momentum was controlled by BLG. Leveraging the strong bottom lane matchup of Kalista and Renata Glasc, BLG steadily accumulated dragon stacks and eventually secured the Hextech Dragon Soul. For Gen.G, it was a critical crisis where the snowball could have quickly gotten out of hand.
However, the tide of the match completely turned during a single teamfight at the 22-minute mark. As BLG support ‘On’ Liu Junjun squandered his skills while conceding the dragon soul, Gen.G immediately launched a counter-offensive, securing three kills and the Baron Nashor buff to instantly seize control of the pace.
Riding this momentum, Gen.G demonstrated overwhelming prowess in two subsequent Elder Dragon teamfights. Although they conceded the first Elder Dragon, Gen.G won a massive teamfight to wipe out all enemy buffs. During the second Elder Dragon clash, ‘Kiin’ Kim Gi-in flanked from behind to take down enemy AD carry ‘Viper’ Park Do-hyeon, solidifying their path to victory.
Fueled by the composure of Ruler, Park Jae-hyuk, who continuously poured out damage even in unfavorable 3-against-1 situations, Gen.G monopolized both the Elder Dragon and Baron Nashor buffs before marching down to destroy the enemy Nexus.
