KT crushes Gen.G’s ‘almost-golden road’, 3–1, in Worlds semis

Photo courtesy of LOL Esports (Facebook)

SHANGHAI, CHINA — Legendary team KT Rolster smashes the final nail in the coffin to defeat the rising powerhouse in a crucial do-or-die series in League of Legends (LoL) eSports.

In a grueling Best-of-five match at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, KT shattered Gen.G Esports’ hopes for their long-overdue grand finals stint in the League of Legends World Championship 2025 Semifinals stage on November 1, Saturday.

The Korean telecom giant clinched the series with a 3–1 upset in their favor, closing the chapter for South Korea’s Top team after their almost-golden run in the entire year with back-to-back-to-back championship titles in both domestic and international tournaments.

KT’s mid laner Gwak “Bdd” Bo-seong hoisted the team’s flag in Game 1 after claiming the First Blood against opposing midlaner Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon.

The Mid-season Invitational (MSI) victors showed promise after melting away KT’s attempts to steal the Mountain Drake 18 minutes into the game, but the 3rd Seed of Korea struck back in the second Drake battle after Jeong “Peter” Yoon-su hit a three-man ultimate with Neeko’s Pop Blossom, giving KT a window to claim the Drake and massacre four of Gen.G’s men.

Despite securing the first Baron and almost reaching the red team’s base, Gen.G got caught in the tide after KT secured the Elder Dragon and later, the second Baron which ultimately led to the fall of Gen.G’s blue nexus.

In the second game of the series, Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk turned the tables in favor of Gen.G as he scored 14 kills with Ezreal, incapacitating KT for the entire 40 minutes.

Gen.G’s attempts to bounce back, however, were ultimately in vain as KT dominated the next two games, claiming the first grand final seat.

In a post-game interview with FOMOS eSports, Bdd said that he felt the series “was doable” after they won Game 1.

“We prepared a lot because Gen.G are so solid, and we spent a ton of time talking through the draft. Since Gen.G played those “textbook” comps so well, Game 1 was really important, no matter what,” the 26-year-old mid laner remarked.

Bdd added that it would be fun if they face the two-time champion T1 in the finals.

“[Lee] Sang-hyeok (Faker) is the player who inspired me the most when I became a mid laner, and he’s still the one who inspires me most as a pro. I’d love to meet him in the Worlds final,” he said.

T1 will face China’s Top eSports to determine who will compete against KT for the Worlds trophy on November 2.

Edited by: Arjie Manuel, Isis Mugas, Clarence Maño, and Micailla Isidro