Atakhan nightmare ends G2’s League of Legends Worlds 2025 campaign; TES move to the semi-finals
G2 were eliminated from League of Legends Worlds 2025 following a 1-3 defeat to Top Esports, who move on to the semi-finals at Worlds.
The four-game contest saw G2 significantly struggle to find paths into the games, with TES showing superior drafting and engagements.
The loss puts an end to LEC interest at Worlds 2025, following the Swiss elimination of MKOI and Fnatic.
Game 1: Top Esports dominate everywhere
A huge fear amongst G2 fans prior to the contest was that TES would exploit G2’s passivity with their more active playstyle.
That fear was realised as TES quickly put into action their game plan, which involved isolating and punishing Labrov.
Before G2 were awake in the server, Labrov was already 0/3 in KD. The early engagements gave JackeyLove a substantial lead in XP and gold over Hans Sama.
TES were in total control of the contest, winning every lane and the early dragons, forcing G2 into desperate attempts to recover the game early.
G2 simply had to get Atakhan to find a way into the game, but their group up towards Atakhan was consistently stifled by their inability to keep JackeyLove at bay on bot.
In the end, they gave up the objective for free with their next true attempt coming later at top. G2 attempted to target 369’s Ambessa to get a pick, but the champion escaped, and TES dove on G2.
The LEC team were quickly obliterated, and Top Esports’ gold lead swelled to over 10k.
The end came inevitably and easily for TES, as their wrecking ball took four of G2’s champions before forcing the Nexus in 31 minutes.
Game 2: Early aggression pays off for G2
Game 1 gave G2 fans memories of their common frailties of passivity. The reaction was exactly what G2 needed in Game 2.
They instantly began to put pressure on TES, especially on the bot lane. Hans Sama punished JackeyLove multiple times to grow a gold lead of over 1k in the early game.
G2 were adeptly choosing their moments, showing strong coordination until they didn’t.
The LEC team were caught carelessly in river, as Labrov and Hans Sama traversed the river without any vision or control of the surrounding area.
A pick on Caps on top equalised the game state, with G2 losing all the control they had worked for.
A complete collapse was on the cards, but TES overchased G2 in top river, before Kanavi was caught completely out of position near the Dragon spawn.
Despite Skewmond getting caught in almost the exact same position that cost G2 their initial moment, the game state was stabilised.
A decisive moment arose as G2 forced the Baron into a risky situation, but that risk ultimately proved worth the reward.
G2 forced Baron with multiple champions not on full HP, but the resulting fight was masterfully handled, with G2 picking off a weak JackeyLove again before vanquishing TES.
The European team started to poke and prod for an end, methodologically picking off two inhibitors before the final push delivered Game 2 to G2.
Game 3: Do nothing then lose
Game 3 was a horror both as a spectacle and for G2 fans.
In the first 15 minutes, next to nothing happened. TES just calmly stretched their legs as their composition came to life and G2 began to slowly recede across the server, like a retreating tide.
TES took two dragons, G2 secured grubs and Rift Herald, but had surrendered the first tower. The game was agonisingly slow.
As Atakhan spawned, TES had full control of the area, and G2 made the bizarre decision simply to watch TES take it.
They were unable to engage, with TES’s poke-heavy comp keeping them at range, but the EU team did not react by taking space or towers elsewhere.
As a result, TES simply marched to the third dragon, before a misjudged Labrov Thresh hook gave TES a winning teamfight in mid.
The moment would seem inconsequential in a more active game, but in this game, it marked the true end of the contest. TES were too far ahead, and G2 could not force anything against TES’s range.
The game finally got some excitement as 369’s Aatrox obliterated G2 in the fight, which would lead TES to the Dragon Soul.
What is it with G2 and Aatrox?
The finish came inevitably, with TES getting three kills on the approach to base and then facing against a completely impotent G2.
The Game was uninteresting and uncompetitive. Labrov especially struggled in what has traditionally been a signature pick on Thresh, but severely backfired.
Game 4: Atakhan blunder costs G2 everything
G2 made a fast start to Game 4, with Hans Sama getting first blood at grubs with the Draven ult onto Hang.
The situation mirrored G2’s Game 2 success, with Hans Sama sitting with a 1.1k gold lead early on and G2 getting the first drake.
TES snatched the momentum back, with an incredible combination of 369 and Kanavi, showing their outstanding mechanics.
The Atakhan proved decisive, with a horrible display of judgement and positioning. They engaged the Atakhan at a strange moment when Caps needed to base then teleport.
TES forced the fight, with G2 exclusively trapped against the wall behind Atakhan.
Not only did TES steal the Atakhan, G2’s positioning meant they could not get out, and BrokenBlade, Skewmond, and Labrov all died with absolutely no upside.
Kanavi was always the greatest threat to G2. The Swiss stage showed that G2 had a hard time dealing with him, and he had now been handed a two-level advantage and a 1.6 gold lead.
G2 were in a similar position to Game 3, where they were struggling to find an engagement due to TES’s poke.
In the end, they tried to force that engage in mid, when TES were barely within range, making for an awkward fight.
G2’s initial burst was not enough, meanwhile, TES had scaled substantially with their Viktor melting through G2’s comp, leading to an Ace.
G2’s exit from Worlds 2025 was now completely inevitable. Perhaps it was inevitable even before that.
They will look back on the Atakhan as the key moment they lost Game 4.
A sad end for G2 after a positive Worlds 2025, but potential must become reality
Top Esports move on to the semi-finals. They will know their Worlds semis opponent tomorrow, with T1 facing Anyone’s Legend for the final spot in the Top 4.
For G2, it’s a bitter end to an overall positive event, which saw EU return to the Top 8 for the first time since 2021, and G2’s first appearance since 2020.
For SkewMond and Labrov, it was a completely new experience and a level that they will need to get accustomed to.
Nevertheless, G2 made some fundamental errors and misjudgements, especially in the draft, which consistently made it hard for the players to engage TES.
Additionally, Labrov struggled all series, consistently missing abilities and lacking awareness.
The improvement that G2 have shown in 2025 will give them some grace amongst fans to continue to grow and improve, but they cannot be in the building phase forever. A team is ultimately judged on end-product, not on potential.
Eventually, they will have to improve dozens of aspects of their game if they want to truly be competitive against Eastern opposition.
Stay Updated with the Latest News
Get the most important stories delivered straight to your Google News feed — timely and reliable
From breaking news and in-depth match analysis to exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes content, we bring you the stories that shape the esports scene.
Monthly Visitors
User Satisfaction
Years experience
Latest League of Legends Worlds
Trending Stories
