G2 Esports just beat Shifters 2-0 in the LEC Spring Split 2026. However, the 0-4 SHFT came very close to winning both games. As G2 has shown a shaky form this split, this outcome is concerning for them despite resulting in a victory.
In the first game, both teams traded blow for blow until several successful skirmishes in a row set Shifters ahead. With every fight only involving a couple of players and resulting in a one-kill lead, neither team had a dominant lead.
Then, on the third drake, Shifters started to break away and collected a 4k gold lead. Only moments later, they lost two fights in a row, and G2 was now ahead. From that point on, G2 managed to close out the game almost cleanly.
In the second map, it was the LEC Versus champion who came out swinging in the early game. After 20 minutes though, things became rocky and Shifters nullified their lead in a couple of fights.
Every time G2 got ahead again, they would throw it in the next fight. Eventually, it came down to an Elder flip. Rudy “SkewMond” Semaan secured the objective with Mehdi “Boukada” Lahlou smiting a fraction of a second too late.
With the Elder buff, G2 destroyed Shifters in the fight. Had Boukada landed that smite, SHFT would have likely claimed the fight and the game immediately after.
G2 beat Shifters in a 2-0 that was too close for the LEC champion. Image source: Wojciech Wandzel / Riot Games
G2 Esports had a miraculous performance at First Stand. Not only did they reach the finals, they stomped both LCK representatives. A 3-0 against the undisputed best team in the world, Gen.G was unthinkable, particularly for Europe, yet they made it look easy.
At First Stand, G2 alone elevated Europe from a region struggling against NA to a clear second-best. This team is no longer an underdog against the LCK that they beat 6-0.
Yet coming back to the LEC, the roster that became a real contender for the trophy is struggling against the weakest teams. G2 is currently sitting at 3-2. A win against Team Vitality is nothing to be ashamed of; however, they lost to Fnatic. To the FNC that has no identity and no fight in them.
Teams regularly perform worse after internationals, especially after doing well. In fact, that’s the norm. In 2025, only CTBC Flying Oysters played in both First Stand and the Mid-Season Invitational. After MSI too, the contenders tend to play poorly for a few weeks.
Those teams don’t get a break and pace themselves in order to manage the entire split ahead. However, G2 has yet to face the best LEC teams aside from Vitality. G2’s remaining opponents are Natus Vincere, GIANTX, Karmine Corp, and Movistar KOI.
If their current form persists, the LEC Versus champion might even miss the Spring Split playoffs. Then again, G2 has a history of bad regular seasons, scraping by into the playoffs, and then destroying everyone.
Featured image source: Wojciech Wandzel / Riot Games
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