After a historic victory over TES at the 2024 MSI, G2 Esports’ in-form jungler Yike spoke openly about the ‘EU terrible’ stereotype that has been circulating in the community for the past few years as a result of the region’s below-average performance in international league competitions.
In an interview with Korizon’s Ashley Kang, Yike said, “I think the narrative that LEC is bad, Europe is bad.”
“We have lost to NA twice recently. It is getting a little too much, and I believe some players, or teams and players in the LEC, are getting into it, and the practice appears to be getting worse as well. “Everything is slowly getting worse,” he remarked, noting that the overall quality of the LEC teams has declined over the years.
He went on to say that G2 Esports are “tryhards,” which is why they dominate the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC). Since the league’s beginning, the team has won 14 LEC splits, which is twice as many as Fnatic, which has the second-most wins.
When asked about putting an end to the “EU is evil” narrative talks, Yike responded, “I believe we simply need more teams to rise up in our league. I think Fnatic is doing an excellent job. MAD Lions performed an excellent job in the last split, such as the winter split, and we need more of the same,” remarking on some of the European team’s great results, further dispelling the stereotype that the region is bad.
G2 Esports has restored faith for Eastern League of Legends esports fans when hope was at an all-time low at the 2024 MSI. Since 2023, the team has won more games versus the East than any other LCS or LEC team combined, demonstrating the franchise’s international success.
After eliminating one of the LPL participants from the tournament, Europe and North America are left with only one representative. If Team Liquid defeats T1 in their upcoming elimination match on May 15, they may face off next.