G2 Esports closed the second-fastest LEC game ever against Team Heretics during the second week of 2023 Winter Split, complete with a dancing Rift Herald.
This G2 roster has been compared multiple times to the one the oft-championship organization fielded in the 2019 League season due to their potential in reaching great heights in League of Legends competitions and for their capability in smashing records—which they almost did five weeks into the season.
The record was set by the historical roster of Wunder, Jankos, Caps, Perkz, and Mikyx against Origen in game three of the 2019 LEC Spring Playoffs Finals, which ended only after 18 minutes and 31 seconds. Four years later, the new-look G2 roster tried to beat the record but fell just 14 seconds short, beating Team Heretics in a one-sided victory that lasted just 18 minutes and 45 seconds from start to finish.
In this second-fastest game ever, which saw G2 up against their former jungler Jankos, the winning team was so far ahead in the game in terms of kills, golds, and objectives that they became unstoppable.
The dominant victory was led by an unkillable Hans Sama and his Draven, who closed the game with a mighty six kills and zero deaths. He wasn’t the only threat on the Rift either; BrokenBlade in the top lane made Jax truly the strongest champion on the Rift and in the jungle Yike boasted a dominant Empress of the Void. In fact, Yike’s Bel’Veth, together with the second Herald of the game, were the funnel G2 was using to beat the lofty LEC record, as Hans Sama said on the analyst desk after the game.
Although the 2023 roster couldn’t beat the speedrun done by 2019’s team, G2 did set a record as the first LEC team to make the Herald dance in front of the enemy’s fountain.
After obtaining the eye of the monster, Yike spawned the second Herald (informally called Shirley) just outside Heretic’s base in order to destroy the enemy’s towers. However, G2 firepower made Heretics’ towers crumble fast, and without any more structure to hit Shirley performed a victory dance in front of the exploding Nexus.
G2 could still beat the record set in 2019 in one of their next LEC matches, which will see them face Team Vitality, Team BDS, KOI, and MAD Lions in succession.
