In a clash of Korean titans that lived up to its billing, Gen.G emerged victorious over T1 with a nail-biting 3-2 series win in the MSI 2025 Upper Bracket Finals. The back-and-forth battle showcased the very best of League of Legends at its highest level, with Gen.G earning a direct path to the Grand Finals while T1 must now fight through the Lower Bracket.
The decisive Game 5 initially seemed to favor T1, who drafted an aggressive early-game composition featuring Draven and Pyke. They secured an early lead through aggressive plays and objective control, threatening to snowball the game beyond recovery. Gen.G, meanwhile, opted for a scaling composition centered around Ruler’s Jinx and Chovy’s damage-heavy mid lane pick.
What looked like a potential T1 victory took a dramatic turn when Ruler pulled off what will surely become one of MSI’s most memorable plays. With T1 starting dragon and on the verge of getting soul point, Ruler fired a perfect Jinx Super Mega Death Rocket from downtown, stealing the objective and stopping T1’s momentum.
“That dragon steal was everything,” said MSI analyst MonteCristo after the match. “It completely changed the trajectory of the game and gave Gen.G the breathing room they needed to scale into their power spikes.”
The stolen dragon proved to be just the beginning of T1’s troubles. Minutes later, a catastrophic teamfight erupted when Doran engaged on Gen.G while his team was in a 4v5 situation. Gen.G took advantage of the mistake, securing a teamwipe that gave them baron control and the lead for the first time in the game.
From there, Ruler took over the match completely. The veteran AD carry finished with a flawless 7-0-2 scoreline and 320 CS at 31 minutes, systematically dismantling T1 in the late-game teamfights. Chovy also stepped up huge in the mid lane, outperforming even the legendary Faker as the game went on.
T1’s early composition simply couldn’t keep pace as the match went beyond the 30-minute mark. Despite valiant efforts from Faker and his squad, their window of opportunity had closed, and Gen.G’s superior scaling closed out the series.
The Ruler vs. Faker saga continues
This match adds another chapter to the storied rivalry between Ruler and Faker, two generational talents who have faced off in numerous high-stakes scenarios throughout their careers. With this victory, Ruler edges ahead in their personal rivalry while positioning Gen.G as the team to beat in this tournament.
Gen.G now awaits their opponent in the Grand Finals, while T1 must regroup quickly as they head to the Lower Bracket. With performances like these, fans worldwide are already talking about a possible rematch if T1 manages to battle their way back to face Gen.G again.
