Gen.G Beats BLG 19-4 in Worlds Final Game 1 After Comeback in Brooklyn

Gen.G took the first game of the League of Legends World Championship final, beating Bilibili Gaming, known as BLG, 19-4 in 38 minutes and 59 seconds at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, according to The Korea Daily. The South Korean team recovered from an early deficit and now holds an early lead in the series.

Gen.G is the last remaining hope of Korea's LCK league, and The Korea Daily noted the team is taking its first step toward a world title after 9 years.

How Gen.G turned the game around

Gen.G won the coin toss, took first choice and picked the blue side, while BLG used its choice to counter-pick. The Korea Daily said Gen.G finished its first-pick sequence with Lee Sin, Syndra, Olaf, Corki and Nami. BLG answered with Renata Glasc, Kalista, K'Sante and Jarvan IV.

BLG controlled the early game. The outlet said the team used a strong bottom-lane matchup between Kalista and Renata Glasc to build up dragon stacks and eventually secure the Hextech Dragon Soul. That put Gen.G in what The Korea Daily called a critical crisis, with the lead at risk of snowballing.

The game turned at the 22-minute mark in a single teamfight. According to The Korea Daily, BLG support Liu Junjun, who plays as On, wasted his abilities while giving up the dragon soul. Gen.G counterattacked at once, took three kills and secured the Baron Nashor buff, which gave the team control of the pace.

Gen.G then won two fights around the Elder Dragon. It lost the first Elder Dragon but won a large teamfight that wiped out BLG's buffs. In the second Elder Dragon clash, Kim Gi-in, who plays as Kiin, flanked from behind and took down BLG's attack-damage carry Park Do-hyeon, known as Viper, according to the report.

The Korea Daily credited much of the comeback to Park Jae-hyuk, who plays as Ruler. It said he kept dealing damage even in unfavorable 3-against-1 situations. With both the Elder Dragon and Baron Nashor buffs, Gen.G marched on BLG's base and destroyed the Nexus.

What this means for the series

The win gives Gen.G an early lead over BLG, but the sources do not describe a full result for the series, and the final is not over. For Korean fans, the stakes are tied to the LCK's search for a world title after 9 years, as The Korea Daily put it.

The Korea Daily said the game ended on the morning of Nov. 15 in Korea Standard Time.

What is already planned for next year

Riot Games announced on Nov. 13, the day before the final in Brooklyn, where the League of Legends international events will be held in 2027, according to Esports.net. Worlds 2027 will start in Japan for the first time. Its Swiss Stage will be held in Nagoya, while the quarterfinals and semifinals move to the Suwon Convention Center in South Korea. The final will follow at the new Seoul Arena.

Esports.net said Seoul Arena was 81% complete, with completion due in May 2027 and an opening in June 2027, citing Financial News. Its main hall is designed for up to 28,000 people. Exact dates for Worlds 2027 have not been announced, and neither has the venue in Nagoya.

The split route means fans who want to follow the tournament from start to finish will have to travel between two countries, the outlet noted. Japanese fans get a Worlds stage at home, while South Korea hosts the knockout rounds and the final.

Earlier on Around Prague: Gen.G and BLG Play for $1 Million in LoL Worlds Final Saturday in Brooklyn

Around Prague, based on reporting by The Korea Daily, Esports.net

Cover photo: Weber Areiv / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped

Share: Telegram WhatsApp