How Gen.G Dominated the World Championship: In-Depth Analysis of Strategies, Drafts, and Key Moments that Secured Their Victory
The 2023 World Championship of League of Legends will be remembered as a tournament that showcased incredible talent, nail-biting matches, and an era-defining performance by Gen.G. Their rise to dominance was marked by a meticulous blend of macro play, mechanical prowess, and an undeniable understanding of the meta. Gen.G established themselves as the undisputed kings of the Summoner’s Rift through their sophisticated draft strategies, unparalleled teamwork, and key tactical moments that put them far ahead of their competition. In this article, we will take a deep dive into the factors that led to Gen.G’s world domination, analyzing their pick and ban strategies, tactical decisions, and critical moments that defined their incredible run. With a systematic approach that combined sharp in-game adaptation and profound pre-match preparations, Gen.G wrote a compelling story of success—one filled with the essence of Korean excellence in competitive League of Legends.
Precision in Picks and Bans: Shaping the Meta
A significant part of Gen.G’s success at the World Championship lay in their exemplary draft phase, where they showed an uncanny ability to adapt and shape the meta. They turned the picks and bans phase from a simple game of choosing champions into a meticulous battle of wits, leveraging their deep champion pools and forcing their opponents into uncomfortable positions. Their drafting prowess was key to outmaneuvering even the toughest competitors. Gen.G’s understanding of the current meta was flawless. During the World Championship, they made it clear that they understood which champions worked well in the meta and which were simply too much of a liability to leave available. They masterfully utilized strong priority picks like Azir, K’Sante, and Maokai while always being ready to pull out surprise pocket picks to counter specific compositions. Their draft strategy allowed them to secure champions that provided a powerful blend of versatility and crowd control while also having high individual outplay potential, which was crucial in maintaining control of fights and securing objectives.
One notable element of their strategy was the consistent prioritization of versatile champions who could operate in multiple lanes. For example, they often picked Jayce—a champion capable of lane flexing between top and mid—creating unpredictability for their opponents during the draft phase. This flexibility forced other teams to second-guess their lanes, ultimately creating advantageous matchups for Gen.G. This adaptability was not just about playing comfort picks but also about executing multi-lane threat strategies, allowing them to exert pressure at all stages of the game. The deep champion pool and ability to adjust based on opponent tendencies also allowed Gen.G to neutralize the comfort picks of enemy teams. They often leveraged bans to specifically target pivotal enemy champions while simultaneously preparing to capitalize on favorable trades. By banning away power picks such as Zeri or Maokai in the right situations, Gen.G ensured that their opponents would be forced onto lower-tier picks or champions with less synergy with their team composition.
Another aspect of Gen.G’s drafting that made them particularly deadly was their clear understanding of how to empower their star players. Their jungler, Peanut, was pivotal in providing early game pressure, and Gen.G ensured that he was provided with champions that complemented his aggressive playstyle. Picks like Sejuani and Vi were chosen to enable Peanut to dictate the pace of the game through early ganks and objective control. Mid laner Chovy, known for his impeccable laning phase and mechanical prowess, often received champions that allowed him to carry in both the early and late game. His Azir and Sylas were game-defining, as they provided strong scaling and playmaking opportunities. Gen.G’s ability to secure such champions through their draft planning highlighted their understanding of team strengths, consistently putting Chovy in a position to succeed. Meanwhile, in the bot lane, Ruler’s consistent and formidable presence was well supported by drafts designed to protect him during the laning phase while also allowing him to be the centerpiece of team fights. Enchanter supports like Lulu were often prioritized to enable Ruler’s late-game hyper-carry champions, such as Aphelios or Jinx, to shine. These drafts ensured that once Ruler came online, Gen.G had a devastating late-game win condition, one that proved almost impossible for opponents to counter.
Tactical Brilliance: In-Game Decision-Making and Key Moments
Gen.G’s tactical approach to matches was another major reason behind their dominance at the World Championship. Their in-game decision-making consistently outclassed their opponents, setting them apart as the definitive masters of macro play and late-game execution. Gen.G’s brilliance extended beyond mechanical prowess; they showcased a deep understanding of timing, objective control, and wave management that led them to victory in crucial situations. Early Game Control and Efficient Pathing A crucial part of Gen.G’s gameplay that became evident throughout the tournament was their early game efficiency, driven primarily by Peanut’s jungle pathing. Peanut’s ability to read the enemy jungle and coordinate with his laners was instrumental in setting the pace of matches. Whether it was vertical jungling to steal camps or linking up with his top or mid laners for a three-minute gank, Peanut provided Gen.G with an early advantage that compounded throughout the game.
In one particularly memorable game during the semifinals, Peanut managed to read the opposing jungler’s positioning to secure an early double kill for his top and mid laners, which gave Gen.G the tempo advantage. This level of jungle coordination, paired with Peanut’s precise ability to track and counter the opposing jungler, resulted in significant leads for Gen.G in nearly every game they played. Gen.G’s laners were also proactive in assisting Peanut during invades, allowing them to apply pressure and take resources without unnecessary risk. They demonstrated excellent warding patterns that consistently provided them with vision on the enemy jungler’s movements, reducing the chances of surprise ganks and giving Peanut the space to control neutral objectives like the Rift Herald and Dragon.
Gen.G excelled at transforming early leads into objective control, especially during the mid-game. Their ability to play around Dragon and Baron objectives was second to none. Gen.G showed a consistent pattern of gaining priority in the mid and bot lanes before setting up vision and forcing their opponents into positions where they had to face-check dangerous territory. This process allowed them to secure objectives with minimal risk and forced opponents to respond to Gen.G’s tempo rather than dictate their own. Gen.G also understood the importance of rotational play, using clean wave management to create opportunities for turret pressure and catches. One of the keys to their success was their use of the side lane split-push, often driven by Doran or Chovy. In the mid-game, these players would push side lanes to create map pressure, forcing enemies to respond while opening up opportunities to collapse and turn fights in Gen.G’s favor.
During their game against T1 in the finals, Gen.G executed a beautiful example of split-push pressure, where Chovy’s Sylas baited multiple members of T1 to the top lane. This created an opening for Peanut and Ruler to force a successful 3v2 skirmish in the mid lane, which ultimately led to a Baron secure and a decisive swing in Gen.G’s favor. While Gen.G was great at all phases of the game, their late-game team fight execution stood out as truly exemplary. In high-stakes matches, late-game situations can often lead to moments of uncertainty, yet Gen.G showed remarkable composure and synergy when it mattered most. Their ability to correctly identify and focus high-priority targets while maintaining clean formations allowed them to outclass even the most mechanically skilled teams in the world.
Ruler, in particular, was often the centerpiece of these fights, providing consistent damage while staying safe thanks to exceptional positioning and peel from his teammates. Gen.G’s front-to-back team fighting was textbook—Peanut and Doran would form the frontline, absorbing damage and creating space, while Chovy looked for flanking opportunities to disrupt the backline and Ruler dished out damage. The synergy in their communication and ability usage ensured that Gen.G always found the upper hand, even when team fights seemed to be evenly matched. In their pivotal series against JD Gaming, there was a crucial fight near the Elder Dragon pit where Gen.G demonstrated flawless execution. JDG initiated an aggressive engage, looking to take down Ruler immediately. However, quick reactions from Lehends’ Lulu, who shielded and ulted Ruler at just the right moment, allowed Ruler to reposition and begin his assault. In a matter of seconds, Ruler shredded through JDG’s frontline, securing a quadra kill and cementing Gen.G’s path to victory. This fight highlighted the power of their coordination and the trust between teammates to execute their roles flawlessly.
Gen.G’s dominance at the 2023 World Championship was a testament to their comprehensive understanding of League of Legends at both strategic and mechanical levels. Their mastery of the pick and ban phase allowed them to adapt to any situation, ensuring that their star players were always in a position to shine. Meanwhile, their in-game decision-making, from Peanut’s early jungle pressure to their late-game team fighting precision, set them apart as the definitive champions of the tournament. The journey of Gen.G is not just one of raw skill but of deep preparation, strategic planning, and impeccable teamwork. They have redefined how to approach the draft, shown the value of macro-level play, and exemplified late-game composure. As we look forward to future tournaments, Gen.G’s legacy will serve as a benchmark for teams striving for excellence—an example of how the perfect blend of strategy, coordination, and individual brilliance can lead to dominance on the world stage.
