Faker's T1 beat G2 3-2 to reach League of Legends MSI top eight

It was a grueling four-hour affair at the Chengdu Financial City Performing Arts Center, pushed to a make-or-break Game 5 after T1 held off a G2 victory with a saving Game 4 win.

Korean League of Legends team T1 defeats Berlin-based G2 3-2 during the first round of the Bracket Stage at the Mid-Season Invitational on Friday in Chengdu, China. [RIOT GAMES]

Both of Korea’s League of Legends (LoL) teams at the Mid-Season Invitational have secured tickets to the final eight after T1 defeated Berlin-based G2 3-2 in the first round of the bracket stage on Friday in Chengdu, China.

It was a grueling four-hour affair at the Chengdu Financial City Performing Arts Center, pushed to a make-or-break Game 5 after T1 held off a G2 victory with a saving win. T1’s clash with G2 was the final match of the week that saw four teams go straight through to the quarterfinals.

Fellow League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) team Gen.G had previously earned their quarterfinal spot on Wednesday, sweeping London-based Fnatic 3-0. Chinese teams Top Esports and Bilibili Gaming also qualified to the quarterfinals with their first-round bracket stage wins.

T1 took Game 1, the battle swinging in their favor after a mid-game pause. But G2 were quick to deny them a sweep, winning the second game to put the board at 1-1. And it was another for G2, the German team taking Game 3 to sit one win away from an automatic final eight spot.

A T1 fans looks dejected during the match against G2 on Friday at the Mid-Season Invitational in Chengdu, China. [RIOT GAMES]

But T1 staved off a G2 victory, putting the board at 2-2 for one final battle — which they won.

G2 now join the losers’ bracket where they’ll face a much longer road to the finals. They will next meet PSG Talon in a head-to-head clash for one of two remaining quarterfinal spots. And there is zero room for error, as losing any best-of-five series would mean immediate elimination.

T1 face Bilibili Gaming next week, with the exact date to be announced.

The last time G2 won the MSI was in 2019, defeating North America’s Team Liquid 3-0 in the final.

T1, the 2023 Worlds champions, have not won an MSI title since 2017 — when they beat G2 3-1.

The full Worlds-winning squad are back on the T1 roster this season, with veteran Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok as their most senior player. Also on the team are Choi “Zeus” Woo-je, Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun, Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong and Ryu “Keria” Min-seok.

Korea’s Gen.G had directly qualified to the MSI’s round-of-16 bracket stage by winning the LCK Spring Split in April, beating runners-up T1 3-2.

The winner of the MSI earns an automatic spot at the 2024 League of Legends World Championship, set to take place across Germany, France and England in the fall.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]