At MSI 2023, Gen.G were knocked out by Bilibili Gaming in round three of the lower bracket in a sweep.
At Worlds 2023, Gen.G were again knocked out by Bilibili Gaming in the single bracket quarterfinals match, 3-2.
Eager for revenge, the Tiger Nation seized their chance in the upper bracket final at MSI 2024 one year later. This time, despite dropping the first game, they triumphed 3-1 against the LPL first seed to book their ticket to the grand finals.
It’s been seven years since the organization (previously Samsung) qualified for an international final. The last time they did was when Samsung Galaxy won Worlds 2017.
Star mid laner Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, who has been with the organization since 2021, spoke to Laure “Bulii” Valée after the series to share his thoughts.
Gen.G Chovy reflects on the last two international tournaments and what it means to finally set foot in an international grand final
“I really, really wanted to get revenge. I wanted the rematch to happen on a bigger stage internationally,” he told Laure during the post-match broadcast interview translated by Park “zeetwo” Jeesun. “We have such bad memories when it comes to series with BLG, but finally, we made it happen. It was also a big match so I’m really satisfied right now.”
Chovy’s strife to reach a final has been ongoing since his Griffin days in 2018. He’s qualified for five League of Legends World Championships and two Mid-Season Invitationals including this one. And still, no trophy — yet.
Laure asked what makes this particular run different from the previous ones. “First off, I think our team was able to get a grasp of the meta really fast and well. Also, we analyzed the lane swap situation so we were not too worried about it,” Chovy replied. “Lastly, I have great form right now so it’s a combination of all those three aspects.”
“I can say for sure that my performance is on point right now so this international final is a ground where I can prove myself,” he added.
With the win, Gen.G sends BLG down to the lower bracket where they will face the winner of T1 and G2 Esports. There’s potential for any one of the three to make it to the grand finals.
“Any team can make it to the final at this point but a one time revenge is not enough for us,” Chovy commented. “I want BLG to make it back again and I want to let them know how it feels to get eliminated.”
Lastly, when asked to leave a message for overseas fans, Chovy responded, “It’s been very long since I performed [well] as as pro player and finally I made it to an international grand finals, so I will not let this precious opportunity to go away. I will make sure to put on the best performance possible.”
Keep up with MSI 2024’s schedule, scores, and results here.
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