Neither team in Sunday’s 2019 LEC Spring Split Grand Finals had an easy time getting there, but it was destiny that the two best teams from the regular season would wind-up in the biggest game of this early year. Live from Rotterdam, Netherlands, it was Caps’ G2 Esports versus Mithy’s Origen for European Championship glory.

The heavyweight bout had been hyped-up all weekend. With OG looking to kickstart their new dynasty, and G2 seeking to retake theirs. Nine out of the ten players on the stage in Rotterdam playing in the finals have had a finals appearance before. Yet, only OG’s Mithy, and G2’s Caps and Perkz have ever won one. 

That very Caps managed to win the Spring Split MVP Award after leaving his world-finalist squad in Fnatic to form the most dominant EU team to date. All the while, their opponents once again proved that preparation and stability can reign as Origen crushed Fnatic in the Semifinals. 

Pedal to the Metal

Some folks thought that it may take a little bit before this series truly heated up. Would Game 1 be a bit of a snoozer as two of the best methodical and technically talented teams warm-up on a Sunday afternoon in the Netherlands? Nope, not really. 

G2 came out swinging with their Sona and Taric bot-lane as soon as they saw Mithy draft something other than Origen’s freshly revealed counter to the odd bot duo. Sure, OG could have flexed their Galio and adapted, but they opted into an early-game advantage. That decision would, unfortunately, begin writing the end to their tragic final fight in these playoffs. 

Though most of the stats show a pretty even game, the control was stolen by G2 around the 15-minute mark. It never had the chance to build up to gigantic dramatics, but that’s because they held the gas pedal down and closed out Game 1 stunningly fast. Or, at least we thought it was fast. It turned out that G2 had more to prove when it came to speedy victories.  

Delicious Funnel Cake

Even after their convincing victory in Game 1, the G2 team that placed 4th in the 2018 Summer Spit before getting knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, wasn’t messing around in the Grand Finals. 

Trying to throw Origen for a loop, G2 drafted an old standard “funnel” composition. With Jankos returning to his world-class support role on Morgana, and LEC Spring MVP Caps on Pyke, G2 run a 1-2-2 strat with smite on their ADC. 

G2 are SO good at shifting the goalposts and present a natural counter to Origen - You can't prepare for a team that is always a step ahead.

G2 are the unique top team that dynamically decide what the 'meta' is on any given day #LEC

— Chris Smith (@PapaSmithy) April 14, 2019

Through the first 15-minutes of the game, G2 had a commanding control. Most of it was born out of the sheer speed and mobility of their champions, and the fear that was embedded in the heart of Origen. G2 took a 10-kill and 6k gold lead into the middle of the game.  

This unpredictable mountain to climb was far too much for Origen, who are notoriously well-prepared for their games. How, though, does one prepare for something that is not seen in pro play anymore?

In Time for Dinner

In Game 3, G2 had to once again pull something out of their hat that would be able to throw Origen off their game. So they went with the recently discovered Neeko AD-Carry build that Riot tried to nerf a little bit, but only took it from “this is unbeatable” to “this is really great”. On his Neeko, Perkz went 9/0/3 in what would become the fastest finish in European League of Legends history.

It only took G2 Esports 18:31 to complete their Game 3 victory, winning a playoff game in the fastest time ever and taking the Championship in stylish speed. It was blistering. 

In total, with a combined game time of 74:32 (a new European record) in the Grand Finals, G2 Esports captures the 2019 LEC Spring Split Championship. The previous record was more than 30-minutes more than that. 

Made it Look So Easy

G2 stuttered in their wrap-up games of the regular LEC split, but this playoff team looked utterly dominant. Heading into the Grand Finals match-up against Origen, it was questioned if G2 had an answer to the extremely composed and well-prepared opponent. 

Origen has proven time and time again that they can dismantle great teams purely by being more prepared than probably any team in professional League of Legends. It’s on the back of this rehearsal and composure that this group of once-considered “b-tier” players managed to take the LEC by storm this year. 

So, if you’re G2, how do you solve that problem? Well, they played three games, with increasing win speeds, because they drafted things teams just aren’t ready for. Their throwback Funnel Comp in Game 2, and their Neeko ADC in Game 3 were too much for even the 2019 LEC Spring Coach of the Split to handle.

With the win, G2’s Caps becomes the first player in EU history to win a League Championship with two different teams. Jankos also finally gets to lift a trophy after more than seven years in competitive EU play. 

Since rebranding and renaming the league the LEC in the off-season, G2 Esports has officially become the first-ever Champions of the LEC.

With the LPL still yet to decide their champion, the world awaits G2 Esports and their arrival on the international stage. Next up for competitive League of Legends is the Mid-Season Invitational that will see this deadly looking G2 Esports line-up. Can this squad make Europe proud in an international tournament unlike any other team from the region? 

We’ll just have to wait and see.