Genji's international League of Legends (LoL) tournament in China recreated the "Korean team wins" formula, and it also gave South Korea its first MSI crown in seven years after a "non-interest" in international competition.
Genji defeated China's Billabilly Gaming (BLG) 3-1 in the finals of the 2024 Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) at the Chengdu Financial City Performing Arts Center in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, on Nov. 19 to claim the title. The victory was Genji's first MSI-international title.
Continuing the 'winning' parade. Last month, Genji won the LoL Champions Korea (LCK) Spring Season title, making it four titles in a row. Despite achieving the feat of winning four consecutive LCK titles, Genji has always been labeled as 'irrelevant' in international competitions. Since its launch as Genji (formerly Samsung Galaxy), the team has been weak in international competitions. Last year, they finished fourth at MSI and reached the quarterfinals of the LoL World Championship (Rolld Cup).
So they were even more thirsty for a win, and that thirst finally reached the heavens. Five players did it: Ki-in "Guiin" Kim, Gunbu "Canyon" Kim, Ji-hoon "Chobi" Jeong, Hoon "Phase" Kim, Soo-hwan "Rehenz" Kim, and Xiu "Son" Son. It's also the first time a Korean team has won the MSI since 2017 (SK Telecom T1). Since then, the MSI has been dominated by the Chinese. It's been seven years in the making for Genji.
With the win at Genji, the team added another milestone. It's the first time South Korea has won an international tournament in China. In fact, SK Telecom T1 (now T1) won the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) in Shanghai, China in 2016, followed by Samsung Galaxy (Zenith's predecessor) at the LoL 바카라 World Championship (Rolld Cup) in Beijing in 2017, and Damwon Gaming (now DePlus Kia) at the Shanghai Rolld Cup in 2020.
Genji took over the baton. When asked how Genji was able to grow during this MSI, the team's commander attributed it to "having a wide range of champions.
In the post-match victory interview, coach Kim Jung-soo said, "Overseas teams tend to play a wide variety of champions without hesitation, so we tried to do the same." "We had Maokai, Blitzcrank, Nidalee, Cassus, and even Shako on Canyon. We practiced with as many different champions as possible. I also learned a lot from MSI," he explained.
"Our players know how to win matches. They're all seasoned veterans, so they quickly became a team without any deficiencies. The coaching staff did a great job with them," he added, giving credit to the players.
After a break from international play, Genji is preparing for the LCK Summer Season and the Roled Cup in Europe. If Genji can win the Summer title, they will make history by becoming the first team to win five consecutive LCK titles. Add to that a trophy at the dream stage, the Rolld Cup, and they'll complete an unprecedented "Grand Slam" (Spring-Summer-MSI-Rolld Cup).
After Spring, MSI has been filled. There's still half of it left. It will be interesting to see if Genji can complete the 'Golden Road' again, starting with the LCK Summer and ending with the 2024 Rolld Cup.
