Gen.G and T1 are both world-class global esports organizations. And now that both teams seem to have shifted nearly all of their competitive teams to South Korea, the rivalry is better than ever.
This month, Gen.G got the better of T1, beating them three times across three games: League of Legends, VALORANT, and Overwatch 2. Though T1 did manage to squeeze out a League victory all the way back on April 1st, the rest of the month has been a display of the golden tigers.
Gen.G and T1 have made huge changes in the offseason for most of their teams. Both organizations’ teams competing in these three major esports are now based in Seoul, while they were previously scattered across Korea and NA.
In terms of League of Legends, they have been LCK rivals for seasons upon seasons. T1 took their first match in early April, and even the players on Gen.G acknowledged that T1 looked incredibly strong moving through the Spring Split.
Nevertheless, Gen.G managed to come out on top when it really mattered in the final, taking the 2023 Spring LCK title right out of T1’s hands in a triumphant moment.
These teams have been rivals for so long and are well-established in Korean LoL. They both have huge fanbases and a large following. Things have only started developing more for these two teams in VALORANT and Overwatch 2.
In VALORANT, Gen.G and T1 started building rosters based in North America in 2021, but neither squad lived up to their expectations, and they were never able to make a big impact on the American scene.
Thus, when the 2022 VCT ended and Riot announced that the professional VALORANT leagues would become franchised, Gen.G and T1 both had the same idea: why compete for a coveted Americas League spot when they could use their already established resources in Korea instead?
There are several reasons why moving to the Pacific League was a huge benefit for both organizations, and both rosters have been performing well. But Gen.G has just been slightly better.
When the two teams faced off in Korea for the first time on the VALORANT stage, Gen.G took a confident 2-0 despite some great individual moments from T1.
If you’ve been a T1 fan for a while, you might recognize Carpe as one of the organization’s biggest names. The aim god competed in professional Overwatch until recently, when he decided to make the transition to VALORANT. T1 kept him in the organization, and he is now working towards mastering another esport.
With Carpe’s departure, many wondered what the future of T1’s former Overwatch League team, the Philadelphia Fusion, would be. It was no surprise for longtime fans to hear the team would be moving to Korea and rebranding as the Seoul Infernal. Though many Fusion fans were hurt by the team leaving North America, the switch to the East set them up once again for this classic rivalry.
Gen.G owns the Seoul Dynasty, which has been the only professional team based in Korea since the inception of the Overwatch League. To have only one team based in Korea in a game that has been dominated by Korean players since its beginnings never quite seemed right, and Korean players were scattered across the world to find spots on professional rosters.
Another team in Seoul is not only perfect to continue Gen.G and T1’s storyline but also for the ecosystem of Overwatch 2 in general.
In the opening match of the 2023 Overwatch League, the Seoul Dynasty and Seoul Infernal went head-to-head. The players greeted each other like close friends, embracing instead of just shaking hands after the Seoul Dynasty won the match 3-2 in close fashion.
April was an incredible month for these two organizations, and the fun is only just beginning now that all six of these teams get to face each other in Seoul.
