Akin to the other semifinal match in the other bracket, the showdown between Gen.G and EDward Gaming went to game 5. Despite being neck to neck, EDG were the ones to come out victorious in the end; they will now face DWG KIA in the grand finals of Worlds 2021.

After the match, Gen.G joined media outlets from all around the world for an online press conference.

[To oDin] The team had a very interesting take in the draft tonight; not only did you leave a lot of meta picks open, most notably Lucian/Nami, Gen.G also drafted Rakan first pick and even picked Seraphine in the mid lane. Can you tell us the thought process behind Gen.G’s drafts?

We believed that Lucian/Nami was really good in the meta, but we were able to deal with them in scrims, so we left them open. It was also hard for us to fit them into our ban cards because there were some champions that needed to be permabanned from our perspective. 

In terms of Rakan, we first picked it because we felt that it was a great pick with Apheliios/Lucian/Yuumi all banned out. For Seraphine, we knew that we’d be skirmishing a lot against EDG, so we felt that it was a good pick.

[To Ruler] As the player that continued to face Lucian/Nami bot lane, can you tell us how you felt about the matchup today? How did it feel during the laning phase?

When we kept brainstorming what we can play against Lucian [w/ Aphelios banned out], our answer was Miss Fortune/Lulu. They worked out in scrims, but we didn’t know how things wil turn out on stage. Not only was it hard to lane against the duo, it’s also true that we had no room to fit Lucian into red side bans. That’s why we tried to find answers on how we can counter them. 

[To oDin] It seems that the team simulated a lot of different drafts during practice; how did the flow of the draft go today? How did you try to recalibrate during the series, and what do you think ultimately led to the team’s downfall today?

In terms of the draft, it went as expected; we predicted that they’d prioritize bot lane picks. We didn’t play the way we wanted to. As for the reason behind our loss today, it’s because of our poor draft.

[To oDin] It’s been two years since this Gen.G roster has first formed, and since then, the team’s been through a lot of ups and downs. As the team finishes their journey this season, how do you believe that the players have grown, and is there anything you’d like to say to the players?

The players have grown tremendously, especially with our recent addition to the coaching staff. I regret the fact that I lacked in so many areas, and it sucks that we couldn’t perform when it really mattered. This is probably my last year at Gen.G, so thank you for all your hard work.

[To Bdd] EDG’s recent performance looked very similar to that of Gen.G’s. How did it feel in-game, and what are some of the differences between the two teams?

I think our playstyles are pretty similar. To be honest, although we lost tonight, I didn’t really think EDG was that great of a team. They also made a lot of mistakes like us in the macro game. In terms of how we’re different, I’d say that they were more fearless with their plays.

[To any of the players] This year, Gen.G finished top four at Worlds. What are some of the things that the team has improved over the course of this year, and what are some of the things that the team needs to improve for next year?

Rascal: I think that there was this moment this Spring split where… Everyone wanted to have an advantage. In that process, we’ve definitely hit obstacles. It’s a game where someone has to make a sacrifice, but because everyone wanted to be in the lead, there were a lot of times where things spiraled out of control. We’ve improved that aspect by the Summer split, where we learned how to know when to give and take.

[To Bdd] What can you tell us about your matchup against Scout today? How do you evaluate today’s series overall?

The perception that I have of Scout is that he likes to roam around with the jungler. He also played that way today, so I did feel a lot of pressure from the enemy jungler. His gameplay is very clean.

[To Coach Ggoong] What do you think Gen.G excelled at over EDG today?

We had similar playstyles, so the difference came down to the minute details. There were moments where we could’ve overcome them, but it sucks that we weren’t able to capitalize on those moments. I think DWG KIA will still have an edge over EDG in the finals.

[To Rascal] Is there anything different that you learned from Worlds this year? Also, is there anything you’d like to say to your teammates?

Truth be told, I felt very unlucky at first. Our practice went well in the beginning, but as the games went on, I wasn’t able to find myself and played poorly. There were many things that I could’ve done better, whether it’s my gameplay or communication. Same thing applies with game 1 and 5 of the series. I’m sorry that I couldn’t do everything I could have, and I want to tell my teammates that they did a splendid job over the last two years.

[To Coach Ggoong] What was the hardest part of facing EDG as a team?

Ggoong: Rather than it being difficult, we thought the teamfights are important. I think sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

[To Ruler, Life] What do you think are the biggest mistakes you made facing EDG in the bot lane?

Ruler: We thought a lot about the early ganks in the first game, but dying there was big. Also, there were situations where I should have played more confidently without being scared, but I wasn’t able to do that. There are several things that I didn’t do properly, and that’s regretful.

Life: As Ruler said, the first gank was regretful. The situations were as practiced, but we didn’t deliver well. That was our mistake, and it’s regrettable.

[Rascal] You shared time with Burdol. Was it an easy process as a player being sometimes in the game, and sometimes on the bench?

Rascal: I competed for the starting spot back in ‘17 and ‘18 as well. There are pros and cons to that. The pros are that we could fill in for our weaknesses and improve. As for the cons, I guess sometimes we confuse each other. We have different styles and when we share the information we have, it could be misleading from time to time. I think there were times when I was intimidated as well. If I had to be benched, I needed to find what I lacked quickly to return to the starting lineup, but I was lost a bit in that process. Still, overall, it was a good experience. If I am put in the same situation in the future, I think I could overcome it better.

[To Coach Ggoong] Which moment was the highlight for you at this Worlds?

Ggoong: The most memorable moment was our game against TL. We could have been eliminated in the group stage or could have reached the finals through that one game. The moment we won that game is the most memorable.