have pulled off one of the biggest shocks of the 2026 MSI this Friday,
defeating G2 Esports 3-0 in the lower bracket and advancing to the lower bracket final where they will face
. The win came against a G2 lineup that
had already beaten T1 in the previous round, making LYON’s victory even more unexpected.
After the match, ADC Kim “
” Min-cheol told in an interview with South Korean media
Kukmin Ilbo that the team had not expected to win 3-0, even though they had been rooting for G2 to land in their path. “
We’ve been in Daejeon for two weeks,” he said. “
We practiced with many teams, and our win rate against LCK and LPL sides was not that good in team fights. Against G2, however, we felt we had around a 60% chance. So we were hoping they would come up to us.”
Still, he admitted that a clean sweep was not on the cards in their minds: “
We didn’t expect 3-0. It feels great and it’s very satisfying.”
Using G2 vs T1 to plan the blue side
LYON had paid close attention to the G2 vs T1 match, where G2’s Sergen “
” Çelik had shown strong counter-pick power. “
Watching G2 vs T1, I could see that BrokenBlade was terrifying when he got a counter pick,” he said. “
So today, on the blue side, we tried to give our toplaner picks that were favorable for him. In games 1 and 2, the situation forced Dhokla (Niship Doshi
) to play Nautilus on top as a first pick, and BrokenBlade responded with a counter Yasuo. Still, Dhokla communicated well with Inspired (Kacper Słoma
), and we managed to stop their early aggression. Winning the top-jungle fight was the key to the whole series.”
In game three, LYON went for a Caitlyn-Bard combination against G2’s Yunara and Lulu. It was a non-standard bottom lane setup, but the North American champion believed G2 would not easily switch to a non-ADC top and Camille. “On game three, we picked Caitlyn and Bard as a gamble,” Berserker said. “We thought they wouldn’t pair a non-ADC top with a Camille. When they actually went with Yunara and Lulu, I felt 3-0 was coming.”
Preparing for HLE
LYON now moves on to face Hanwha Life Esports in the lower bracket final. The match will feature a direct showdown between Berserker and HLE’s star ADC Lee “
” Min-hyeong, who is known for his weak-side-oriented playstyle. “
Right now, the meta is top-heavy,” he said. “
Gumayusi is probably the best weak side botlaner in the world. I’ve learned a lot from watching him.”
“I think I am just as good as him and can do at least as well as him. The meta is about how the support disrupts the enemy's pathing in the first and second sets to influence the top lane. Our bottom duo will not be pushed back in that battle.”
Despite HLE being seen as the obvious stronger team, LYON has already made their mark in this tournament. “HLE is a strong team,” he adds. “But League of Legends is about momentum. We won 3-0 today, so we have our momentum. If we show up tomorrow and do our best, I believe we can get the result we want.”
