Gen.G 3-1 Bilibili Gaming to win MSI and League of Legends Worlds spot

Esports

Published: 20 May. 2024, 12:49

Gen.G 3-1 Bilibili Gaming to win MSI and League of Legends Worlds spot

Members of League of Legends team Gen.G lift the trophy after winning the 2024 Mid-Season Invitational in Chengu, China on Sunday. [RIOT GAMES]

Korean League of Legends (LoL) team Gen.G defeated Chinese team Bilibili Gaming 3-1 to win the 2024 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) in Chengdu, China on Sunday, taking home a grand prize of $50,000 and securing their spot in the 2024 LoL World Championship this fall.

The win marks Gen.G's first-ever MSI title and is the first time since 2017 that a team from the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) — Korea's top-tier professional LoL league — has walked away as champions.

It was a rematch between the two teams on Sunday, Gen.G beating Bilibili Gaming 3-1 in Round 4. Bilibili Gaming then defeated Korean team T1 3-2 in the losers' bracket to deny an all-LCK final.

Gen.G took the early lead during the final round, winning the first two games to sit on the brink of victory. Bilibili Gaming won the third game, pushing the clash to Game 4.

But Gen.G were the winners of the night, bringing the MSI trophy back to the LCK after teams from China have dominated five out of the six previous tournaments. The 2020 MSI was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Son "Lehends" Si-woo was named the MVP, playing alongside team members Kim "Kiin" Gi-in, Jung "Chovy" Ji-hoon, Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu and Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan.

Gen.G are have been on a winning streak so far this season, winning the 2024 LCK Spring Split to qualify for the MSI — and they now have a Worlds ticket in tow, too.

The LCK Summer Split begins in June.

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