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The LEC Winter 2024 regular season is coming to a close. The last week of bo1 battles is heating up at Europe's biggest tournament.
The penultimate match of the first day of the last week will feature G2 Esports and GiantX. Both teams have not yet guaranteed their passage to the next round, and therefore their face-to-face meeting is of great importance.
Let's try to figure out which of the GiantX - G2 Esports pair will be stronger and get the win, and who will have to rely on the next matches to guarantee their passage to the play-offs.
Let's go.
G2 Esports Form
We open our match analysis with an analysis of G2 Esports' form. In this match, the Samurai and by extension the best team in Europe will play the first number one, with odds to win at around 1.1.
At the beginning of last season Samurai reached the capital of Great Britain to participate in MSI 2023 by winning the LEC Winter. Then G2 made it to the grand finals without much trouble, also beating MAD Lions quite easily
At LEC Spring 2023, G2 Esports played worse. They entered the play-offs of the tournament from the second match of their group, making it to the bottom of the play-offs. While there, they played against the Lions again, but were unable to repeat the success of the LEC Spring 2023: G2 Esports dropped out of the LEC Spring 2023 playoffs, but made it to the Mid-Season Invitational 2023.
- G2 Esports roster: BrokenBlade, Yike, Caps, Hans Sama, Mikyx.
Play-In for G2 Esports is successful and even easier than BLG's. G2 Esports didn't feel LOUD and easily shut down PSG Talon, beating both clubs 2-0.
Things were no longer as rosy in the Bracket Stage. In the first round, G2 Esports played Gen.G, probably the main contender for the championship title, and managed to take a card from them, which in the realities of today's competitive scene is more than good.
In the bottom set, G2 Esports met their main rival, MAD Lions. The European derby on the international stage ended with a confident victory for G2, confirming them as the best team in the LEC.
At the end of the only international event so far, G2 Esports finished in the top 6. The result is a good one.
Before the LEC Finals, the Samurai took another trophy to their headquarters. It was the trophy for the victory at LEC Summer 2023, where G2 easily defeated EXCEL in the Grand Final.
In the first round of LEC Finals 2023, G2 Esports played against Team BDS. The French gave a fight, but failed to pull more than 1 map.
G2 Esports had no problems first with MAD Lions to advance to the grand finals of LEC Finals 2023, and then in the finals they defeated Fnatic.
In the first match on the main stage of the year, G2 Esports played against Dplus. Being an outsider, the team managed to beat the titular Koreans, all thanks to Hans Sama's crowning Draven. Then they managed to beat not just anyone, but WBG, who subsequently took the top 2.
And then came the miscues, and quite serious ones at that. First they lost to Gen 0-2, then to Ledge or NRG 0-2 (which was a shocker), and finally they dropped out of Worlds 2023 after losing to Bibili Gaming.
G2 Esports will start their journey to LEC Winter 2024 with a match against BDS, one of G2's main rivals on their way to their championship. Expect a solid performance from G2. Next up will be a match against Karmine Corp, where it should be easier than the game against BDS. In fact it was, but the match with Rogue was probably the first sensation of last week, because G2 Ledgeili. Well, that's what bo1 is for.
The Samurai played the first week 2-1. The second week ended with a similar score.
The most popular G2 Esports champions
Gragas (3 matches, 66% wins) is sent to the top line.
In the forest, either Belveth (2 matches, 100% wins) or Maokai (2 games, 50% wins) or Gragas (2 matches, 50% wins).
On the centre line variety: Yasuo, Sylass, Cassiopeia, Sejuani and Yone have appeared in spades once each and won their game.
Of the shooters, Draven (3 matches, 66% wins) is playing.
On Support, Nautilus (2 matches, 50% wins), Nami (2 matches, 50% wins).
Form GiantX
We continue our match analysis with an analysis of GiantX's form. In this match they will play as an underdog, with odds to win at around 4.4.
GIANTX is the new name for the LEC league. The LEC 2024 Winter Split is the debut match for the club, which has absorbed the EXCEL slot. Incidentally, GIANTX themselves are the fruit of a merger between British club EXCEL and Spanish club Giants.
GIANTX had a very difficult last season. At LEC Winter 2023, the team completely failed, finishing in the top 10.
The spring split, however, didn't show anything new. GIANTX once again failed in the split and once again came in last.
- EXCEL line-up: Odoamne, Peach, Abbedagge, Patrik, LIMIT.
After two disgusting splits, GIANTX changed their forester and replaced Targamas with South Korean legionnaire Peach. The change was a good thing, because there is no other way to explain the miracle-run at LEC Summer 2023.
GIANTX not only finished in the top 3, but also made it to the split grand final, thus guaranteeing themselves a spot in the LEC Finals. Ledge and G2 Esports are in the finals, but there is no shame in that, you have to understand.
The achievements of LEC Summer 2023 are at risk of being reversed given the experience of the first match of LEC Finals 2023. In the match against MAD Lions, GIANTX looked more like what we saw during LEC Winter and Spring, but not at the summer split.
In the next match, then EXCEL faced Fnatic. That match was more like something worthwhile and ended in a full-fledged bo5, but in Fnatic's favour. For ex-Excel, LEC Finals 2024 ended with a top-5 finish.
In their first match under the new tag, GIANTX will meet Vitality. I think the Ledge Bees will bee. Next up is The International and the game against BDS. If the French can beat the former, it's hard to believe that they will succeed against BDS.
In the first week of LEC Winter 2024, GiantX played 1-2. The only win was against the weakest team, Vitality. The second week ended similarly, bringing GiantX close to the drop zone. They are now 2-4.
GIANTX's most popular champions
On the top line the most frequent picks are KSante (4 matches, 50% wins), Gnar (3 matches, 100% wins).
Foresters picks are Wukong (4 matches, 50% wins), Vi (2 matches, 50% wins), Nocturne (2 matches, 50% wins), Viego (2 matches, 0% wins).
On the centre line Gragas (4 matches, 50% wins), Annie (4 matches, 50% wins).
Aphelios (6 matches, 33% wins), Jinx (3 matches, 66% wins), Zeri (2 matches, 100% wins).
The other stable players are Lulu (3 matches, 66% wins), Rakan (3 games, 0% wins), Nautilus (2 matches, 50% wins).
GiantX vs G2 Esports head-to-head history
This will be the first head-to-head meeting between GiantX and G2 Esports.
Predicted result of G2 Esports vs GiantX at LEC Winter 2024
In this match I expect a quick, confident win for G2 Esports. The latter should definitely earn their place in the play-offs and prepare for the bo5 series, where G2 will feel much better than in a rather random bo1.
Bottom line: G2 Esports win.
