It is undoubtedly the most awaited match of this fourth round. With 12 teams and 4 playoff spots remaining, Sheep Esports is here to break down each day's key matchup. After Hanwha Life and Top Esports, only G2 Esports or T1 can still qualify in a 3-1 fashion for League of Legends Worlds 2024’s Knockouts. This historic clash will once again occur on the international stage this Friday.

Two historic teams on crutches

A historic clash, especially since both organizations have faced each other countless times. The great G2’s run from 2019 was historical in a way because they defeated the giant SKT T1 during MSI and Worlds’ semi-finals. But no need to go too far back in time, since in 2024, G2 and T1 will be the only teams representing different regions that clashed more than two times in a series match. Both delivered a great first battle at MSI, that even went to silver scrapes until the Korean team secured the win (3-2). Soon after, G2 Esports swept Top Esports (3-0) to claim a rematch against Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok and Co. But this time, the defending world champions were much better prepared and the LEC first seed went through an ordeal all series long (0-3).

However, both teams arrived at Worlds this year with a different status than they had after the Spring Split. Where G2 struggled and had to go through the lower bracket for the first time in the year, both during Summer Split (2-3 loss against Fnatic) and Season Finals (2-3 loss against MAD Lions KOI), the Korean powerhouse did even worse in LCK. The notorious ZOFGK went 11-7 during the regular season and unlike last year, Faker played every game with his team. As a reminder, the last time T1 did not attend their league’s final was in Spring 2021. In the Summer of 2024, they broke that three-year domination by falling to HLE two times in a row in playoffs. It got even worse as the 2023 World Champion was almost unable to defend his title. In the LCK regional finals, T1 was first defeated by Dplus KIA (2-3) and then came agonizingly close to being eliminated from the Worlds race by KT Rolster (3-2).

Early or late?

But both teams came back in shape for the most prestigious competition of the year, as they both carry their region's hopes and stakes again for this edition. If T1 at Worlds has always shone since 2022, G2 has been considered the best team in the West since 2023. And they both delivered, indeed, with the few samples they showcased during the first three games of the Swiss Stage. The defending champions first crumbled against Top Esports despite making them suffer a lesson in the early game, as their team fight composition didn’t seem on point. They confirmed being a big threat in the competition by taking down BLG — LPL’s first seed — lately, as they seemed to correct their deficit in the teamfighting department and still establish their rhythm in the early stages of the game.

G2 first showed the opposite, with their game against Hanwha Life Esports. The LEC champion completely blew up in the early phase, before finding their way back into the game and controlling the mid to late stages against none other than the LCK champion. Despite the loss because of an obvious out-scaling draft from HLE, G2 tried very interesting ways to win the game, especially through clutch decision making and Rasmus “Caps” Winther’s split-pushing. Even though the execution was not precise enough to secure the victory, they left a strong impression by pushing HLE in the very late game with such an early advantage (this was the longest game of Worlds 2024 so far: 45 minutes and 40 seconds).

As T1 did, G2 also showed they could step up their game to correct their mistakes in the next round against Weibo Gaming. The LEC first seed dominated the first 15 minutes before giving back their advantage to the Chinese team with over-extending team fights. Yet again, they kept their focus to control the next stages of the game and finally converting it to a win. Sergen "BrokenBlade" Çelik, especially, was the main architect of that victory, as he has been a reliable force since the start of the competition.

The rivalry between Faker and Baby Faker has always been an exciting part of that confrontation. While both have become the franchise players of their respective teams, Caps will have the opportunity to record a positive win rate against the Unkillable Demon King this Friday if he takes him down in two games (actually 13-12 in favor of Faker). This exciting rivalry between the Western GOAT and the worldwide GOAT, between the early-game-oriented T1 and the mid to late-game-oriented G2, is scheduled for 2 PM CET this Friday, and you don’t want to miss it.