Gen.G eliminate Hanwha Life Esports from Worlds after 59-minute thriller
League of Legends World Championship favourites Gen.G have advanced to the LoL Worlds Semi-Finals after eliminating Hanwha Life Esports (HLE).
The dramatic series was tightly contested but finished 3-1 in favour of the reigning MSI and LCK champions.
The devastating loss eliminated HLE from the tournament and brought an end to the career of legendary jungler Han ‘Peanut’ Wang-ho, who is quitting esports due to South Korea’s mandatory military service.
Gen.G vs HLE LoL Worlds Game 1
The series was entertaining from start to finish, as expected from two of the best teams in the world.
The first match saw a lot of close team fights as both teams struggled to take full control of the game.
Though ultimately, HLE support Yoo ‘Delight’ Hwan-joong’s brave off-meta Pantheon pick didn’t work out. Though it did remove a crucial jungle pick away from Gen.G’s Kim ‘Canyon’ Geon-bu under Fearless Draft rules.
Gen.G vs HLE LoL Worlds Game 2
The second game was then absolute cinema; the 59-minute match became an instant classic.
Gen.G’s superior objective control saw them take an early advantage as they secured Atakhan and the first three Drakes to threaten Soul.
However, a ridiculous sequence saw HLE hold multiple objectives and come back into the game.
Somehow, HLE took four consecutive Drakes to earn the Dragon Soul for themselves.
Both teams struggled to end the game as a superb Orianna ult from Jeong ‘Chovy’ Ji-hoon stopped HLE’s base rush.
Meanwhile, HLE somehow managed to defend their base while Gen.G had Elder Drake and remarkably managed to delay things long enough that the buff ran out.
HLE’s botlaner Park ‘Viper’ Do-hyeon was having a phenomenal performance on Ziggs, preventing Gen.G from closing out the game.
However, he couldn’t hold back Gen.G’s final engage even though he did survive the fight. He had to watch on as Gen.G moved up onto match point at 2-0.
Gen.G vs HLE LoL Worlds Game 3
You wouldn’t be surprised if HLE were dejected and defeated after losing that hour-long slog, but they remained defiant and hit back in Game 3.
In fact, HLE dominated.
HLE got first blood, first tower, and the first Dragon and continued to snowball from there.
Viper had yet another incredible performance, finishing 9/0/9 on Sivir as HLE sent a statement in Game 4.
Gen.G vs HLE LoL Worlds Game 4
However, HLE’s excitement didn’t last long as Gen.G clinically put the series to rest.
A cagey start allowed Gen.G to slow down HLE’s momentum and control the pace of the match.
Gen.G quickly accumulated a lead and made the most of it as they wouldn’t allow HLE to scale.
The game was over after 32 minutes as Gen.G expertly controlled the map and dominated fights to send HLE home.
