Gen.G’s reign seems to be truly over as they lose to T1 again

Naerlyn Published August 1, 2026

Gen.G just lost to T1 0-2 in their opening match in the LCK Rounds 3-4. In 2025 and in the LCK Cup, Gen.G was expected to win against every single opponent (and they did). Now, the T1 that looked dreadful against KT Rolster just outclassed them. It looks like Gen.G’s time at the top of the world is truly over.

Gen.G lost 0-2 to T1

The two legends of the LCK faced off in week 1 of Rounds 3-4. The first round was all T1’s, as Gen.G never got to be proactive. While they shut down some of T1’s plays, they couldn’t initiate any, and T1 kept hold of the tempo the entire game. Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu even lost two Smite fights against Mun “Oner” Hyeon-jun despite playing Lee Sin.

In total contrast from their earlier game against KT, this was a masterclass from T1. After a single Baron, they ended the game before 30 minutes.

On the second map, Gen.G was finally here to play. This time, they led the fights, and this time, they won them. By putting Kim “Kiin” Gi-in on Varus top and sending Joo “Duro” Min-kyu’s Shen to accompany him, they effectively recreated a lane swap to shut down Choi “Doran” Hyeon-joon’s Jax.

At the same time, mid lane entirely belonged to Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon. One skirmish giving Kiin a quadra kill and dragon stacking going fine, Gen.G was in a great spot. However, T1 remained patient the whole time, in a very uncharacteristic manner for them.

Then, they picked one fight at Baron, and fully turned the game around. Minutes later, Gen.G’s Nexus fell for the 2-0.

Gen.G drops in the LCK standings

With that loss, the team continues looking worse than they used to. In 2025, they won everything. The two series that they lost all Summer were huge upsets. Gen.G’s loss at Worlds was even more of one, if not for the fact that we expect them to somehow lose at that tournament.

Starting 2026, the story was just the same again. Gen.G wins everything and nobody even looks close. Until G2 Esports beat them 3-0 at First Stand.

Now, they stand at 14-5. While objectively a good score, this puts them in a tie for third place. For Gen.G, this is their worst regular season in three years. The last time they had a win rate lower than 75% was in Spring 2023, when they finished 13-5.

Due to the LCK having four spots at the World Championship, Gen.G is at little risk of missing the qualification. Only five teams are real contenders, and it’s more likely that KT or Dplus KIA drops out. Or even T1, if we look at how they played on Wednesday rather than today.

However, KT has had a strong start to Rounds 3-4, and DK has shown incredible form since the Esports World Cup. Today, Gen.G did look like the fifth-best team in the LCK.

Do you think they can bounce back? Share your thoughts on our forums.

Featured image credit: Riot Games

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