The first-ever international final between Gen.G and T1 ends with a Gen.G victory
Gen.G are the 2025 Mid-Season Invitational champions after a 3-2 victory in the grand final against T1. It’s the second consecutive MSI title for the most dominant LCK team in recent years, having already lifted the trophy in 2024 after defeating Bilibili Gaming in the final. With this win, the South Korean powerhouse now stands on equal footing with T1, each holding two MSI titles. It’s also the second MSI title for Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk, who previously won the tournament in 2023 with JD Gaming, as well as for every member of the Gen.G roster that triumphed last year.
In Game 1, T1 secured Orianna for Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok —his fourth time playing the champion at this MSI, maintaining a perfect 100% win rate. Well protected by Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun and Ryu "Keria" Min-seok, T1’s carries remained untouched as they took the lead in the series. Gen.G responded in Game 2, sticking to blue side and relying on a dominant Sion performance from Kim "Kiin" Gi-in. Picked blind, Kiin delivered across the board with solo kills, clutch teamfights, and a solid laning phase into Camille, helping Gen.G even the score.
A nail-biting BO5
In Game 3, T1 were on blue side and Gen.G left Azir open—Faker didn’t hesitate to lock it in. The early game tilted slightly in T1’s favor, especially in the botlane, where Keria was playing Renata Glasc—a champion sitting at 0-8 at this MSI before this game. But things look very different when the best support in the world is behind the keyboard. T1 capitalized on their early lead and snowballed it into a massive advantage, closing it out with a dominant teamfight around the Atakan. Keria’s ultimates on Renata were clutch, helping T1 claim match point in the series.
Game 4 was a clash of hyper carries—Jinx for Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong with his World Champion skin, and Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk on Zeri. The game was tightly contested between the two LCK giants, but it was ultimately Gen.G who came out on top after a standout performance from Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu on Trundle. Zeri, played only once during this MSI, will end the tournament with a 100% win rate.
For the final game of this MSI—the tenth between T1 and Gen.G across the tournament—Oner locked in Viego while Gumayusi picked Caitlyn. On the other side, Canyon went for Nidalee and Joo "Duro" Min-kyu brought out Pyke. Gen.G struck first with a dive that secured a double kill for Ruler, but T1 responded by gaining control over the jungle. However, once the teamfights began, Gen.G showed superior damage output, better smites around Baron and drakes, and ultimately closed out the series. With this win, Gen.G complete the back-to-back and extend their match win streak to 23 consecutive best-of series—a record they'll look to defend at the upcoming Esports World Cup and the LCK Round 3-5.
Header Photo Credit: Liu YiCun/Riot Games