Gen.G Maintains Crown in Five-Game MSI 2025 Classic against T1

A classic rivalry, yet when revisited every time, the action always delivers. On July 12, T1 faced off against Gen.G in the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) grand final. With a score of 3-2, Gen.G claimed a hard-fought victory over T1, etching their name into MSI history with their second international trophy.

T1 Strike First in Game 1

In game 1, Gen.G looked to get bot lane priority by locking in Lucian-Braum. The first major team fight came through a drake contest at the 12-minute mark, where Gen.G secured the drake, but T1’s Faker started the fight off with his ult, resulting in a 2-1 kill trade in favor of T1. After T1 secured and released the Rift Herald in the mid lane, Duro mistakenly teleported right into enemy lines, resulting in T1 getting both tier 1 and 2 turrets.

In the fight for Atakhan in the bot lane, it was Faker who turned the game around with an ultimate from Orianna. While they may have lost the objective, the fight win gave them the momentum and the focus they needed to not only secure the next drake, but also get the Baron. The lead amassed by T1, and with stronger coordination in team fights and skirmishes, T1 swept Gen.G in the next drake contest. The snowball was enough for T1 to push through the Nexus and take the first point in the series.

ACE FOR @T1LOL! #MSI2025 pic.twitter.com/Bx8k2SW6wN

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) July 13, 2025

Kiin Ties the score for Gen.G

The first kill of Game 2 came through in the bot lane, when Kiin’s Sion made the surprise engage onto Gumayusi’s Corki. Having burned Flash minutes earlier, Kiin was able to get the kill on the unsuspecting Corki. Despite both teams maintaining a minimal gold difference, it was Gen.G that eventually gained a lead by getting Kiin’s Sion ahead, becoming too tanky for T1 to take down. With Baron and Ocean Soul secured by Gen.G, T1 seemed helpless against the 13k gold difference, finishing the game at the 30-minute mark.

WHAT A FIGHT pic.twitter.com/Yz5jpZX8y8

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) July 13, 2025

T1 continues to play the dragon game in Game 3

We’ve talked about how both teams have focused on dragon stacking to win games and this trend was visible in the final series as well. T1 maintained an early drake lead in Game 3, even though the breaking point came through when they won the teamfight for the Rift Herald, leading to multiple towers and eventually the Mountain Soul. With their lead, T1 continued to dominate every single fight that followed, and with a convincing 20-2 kill score, T1 was the first to get to game point.

Gen.G Hold Strong and Force Game 5

With a few kills being traded by both teams, the gold difference remained neck-and-neck. T1’s bot lane, Gumayusi-Keria, had their lead over Ruler-Duro, but Gen.G’s had their advantages in the solo lanes. In a crucial teamfight at the 21-minute mark at Atakhan, Gen.G opened up their gold lead to 5k ook minutes over Atakhan, and with an early Baron pickup, Gen.G brought the series to Silver Scrapes for the ninth time this MSI.

THE FIGHT FOR @GENG TO BRING US TO GAME 5! #MSI2025 pic.twitter.com/GJLCUr3eBj

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) July 13, 2025

Gen.G are your back-to-back MSI Champions

With Fearless Draft pinching the picks, T1 defaulted back to their comfort zone by giving a linear draft of Renekton, Viego, Ahri, Caitlyn, and Karma, all comfort champions for the players. On Gen.G’s side, Canyon got his hands on his signature Nidalee, with Duro pulling out an unexpected Pyke counter pick to pair with Ruler’s Miss Fortune.

Despite Oner securing first blood by a textbook top lane bank, Gen.G was quick to regain the lead through a 4-man top lane dive on Gumayusi-Keria.

DOUBLE KILL for Ruler! #MSI2025 pic.twitter.com/VCKxDRGatU

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) July 13, 2025

T1 showed superiority in securing objectives in the early game but it was Gen.G’s superior teamfighting that allowed them to keep the gold lead, with a major Rift Herald to shift the momentum in their favor.

At the end of the teamfight at Atakhan, Gen.G had already built a 3.4K gold lead by 21 minutes. In a contest for Baron, Gen.G continued to prove superior teamfighting capabilities, securing all the following drakes. In the end, Gen.G’s siege proved insurmountable, as they took down the Nexus to become back-to-back MSI champions and will be the first team to head to Worlds later this year in China. Chovy was awarded the Finals MVP award. 

BACK-TO-BACK MSI CHAMPIONS: @GENG 🏆 pic.twitter.com/sydeFGMZZ5

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) July 13, 2025