Can G2 Qualify to the Bracket Stage? – MSI Play-in Preview

With one final shot at reaching the Bracket Stage of MSI 2025, G2 Esports and GAM Esports are coming into the series after tough battles in the play-ins stage with two different narratives. Will the European team make it or will the Vietnamese team pull off the upset to punch out the last ticket? Let’s break down the teams ahead of their match.

G2 Esports vs GAM – MSI Play-in Preview

Key Matchups to Watch

• Top Lane (BrokenBlade vs. Kiaya) – BB needs to step up after a rough series against BLG. If Kiaya finds an edge here, things can get tricky for G2.
• Jungle (SkewMond vs. Levi) – The most important matchup. Levi is the GAM’s core and he will be the one dictating the tempo; SkewMond’s job is to neutralize him.

G2 – Flashes of Brilliance, but still Inconsistent

G2’s upper bracket loss to Bilibili Gaming was a sobering reminder that the Eastern teams are still a tier above the rest of the competition. After failing to make the single push in Game 1, G2 was unable to contest BLG for the rest of the series.

Two players in particular—Labrov and BrokenBlade— had several individual mistakes and oversteps that caused major shifts in all of the matches. BB has been underperforming for a while now and his form can be quite concerning, given he’ll face GAM’s top laner Kiaya, who comes from a great series against FURIA. Labrov also struggled to find his footing, often being caught out in skirmishes or being unable to make the plays happen when needed (failed engage on Neeko in Game 2).

For G2, however, there is at least some hope in Caps, who has looked quite well. Despite a solo death to Knight in the BLG series, Caps was often the one finding good opportunities for his team. Considering GAM’s mid lane seems to be the weak link, the Danish mid might find more edges there.

GAM Esports – Proactive but Vulnerable

GAM got the win against FURIA after a nail-biting series, coming back after being down 1-2 on the scoreboard. The team has been true to its identity, thriving on high tempo and early skirmishes to snowball the game. Levi and Kiaya continue to be the shining stars of this roster, with the jungler controlling the pace of the game and constantly finding opportunities to punish the opponents.

The Vietnamese team has been able to use this to their advantage against the Brazilian team, but their gameplay has also shown lots of cracks and openings, especially when not building a big enough advantage. If G2 doesn’t get destroyed early on, I believe G2 is the more solid team when it comes to teamfighting.

For this reason, the jungle matchup will be crucial. In a meta dictated by skirmish-heavy champions, SkewMond will have the job to either overpower Levi’s in terms of early-game proactivity or at least ensure that G2 can fight on equal terms by mid-game. Ultimately, it’s probably going to be a close series, but if G2 can maintain a similar performance as the one seen against BLG in Game 1, where they constantly look for ways to get back in the game, they should have a good chance of going through.

Prediction: G2 Esports 3-1 GAM Esports.