After the second week of the LCK third split, a two-day break followed. Due to the KeSPA Cup being held early, players didn't rest and kept playing in the KeSPA Cup to maintain form. On the previous match day, the KeSPA Cup's first stage of the knockout rounds concluded with the final match. GEN faced HLE, and after three grueling games, HLE narrowly won and advanced to the semifinals. After this match, only one spot remained for the second stage of the knockout rounds.

DNS also won a three-game series against KRX, setting up a final showdown between GEN and DNS for the last semifinal spot. Just looking at the team names, GEN was expected to easily win, because DNS, ranked last in the league, had already been eliminated from playoff contention even before the regular season ended—they couldn't even make it to the play-in stage. But absurdly, DNS not only won but also swept GEN 2-0.

The "King of Domestic" in the league, GEN ranked third in standings, actually lost to the last-place team. This is really unbelievable. Let's briefly review how GEN lost. In the first game, GEN had a good start. At 3 minutes, they did a 4-man bot lane dive with three players, killing both DNS bot laners, with Chovy and Canyon getting kills. Top lane Kiin brought out a surprise pick—Heimerdinger against Olaf—and was also dominating, keeping his opponent under tower.

DNS then copied the tactic and also executed a 4-man bot dive, killing both GEN bot laners. The teams started with equal kills. This stalemate continued until the 20-minute mark. While defending the mid tower, Ruler saw the enemy Lee Sin flanking from behind but still chose not to retreat, resulting in being kicked back and killed instantly, and also causing Canyon's death. GEN then secured the Baron. While pushing with the buff, Ruler made another mistake and got solo killed by the Olaf.

With the AD down, GEN didn't dare to contest the teamfight. DNS directly took down the top lane inhibitor and also destroyed one nexus turret. By the 30-minute mark, GEN's support was caught while warding, and Chovy was also caught while split pushing. DNS pushed in and destroyed the base in one go. In the second game, DNS had advantages in all three lanes. The jungle-support duo roamed aggressively. By 20 minutes, DNS's jungler had a 7-1 KDA. GEN, trailing by 5k gold, crumbled in teamfights and had no chance to fight back.

Again at 22 minutes, DNS aced GEN and pushed onto the high ground, destroying another nexus turret. But while retreating, GEN found an opportunity and scored a 0-for-4 teamfight, then secured the Baron. During the counter-push, GEN's mid and top laners were caught, so they didn't gain much from the Baron. In the final dragon fight (the one that would give them the dragon soul), DNS executed a beautiful teamfight: Camille locked onto Jayce with her ultimate, while Rumble and Qiyana used their ultimates together, instantly aced GEN.

DNS then pushed in and destroyed GEN's base in one go. In total across two games, GEN only lasted 57 minutes. Wow, this is a top-tier team tied with HLE and T1 in the standings, fielding their full main roster, and they lost to the last-place team, and were swept 2-0. It seems GEN this year is really different—they not only lose to strong teams, but sometimes even to weak teams. Their strength is a mystery.

After DNS advanced to the semifinals, they will face HLE. The winner will play against T1, while the loser is eliminated. Although HLE's form has been somewhat inconsistent this split, playing against a bottom-tier team like DNS should be no contest. However, just for this BO3, DNS's teamfighting was really good. If they can maintain this level of performance, their strength could definitely rank in the top 5 of the LCK. Unfortunately, it's hard for them to keep it up.

Conclusion:

GEN played two consecutive BO3s, and the players were indeed tired. During the pauses, everyone was yawning, and Canyon even closed his eyes to rest. But that's no excuse for losing to the last-place team. Ruler is really weak right now—he can't win lane against anyone and is consistently pressured. If he can't find his form, it feels like GEN won't go far this year.

So, who do you think is the biggest problem for GEN?

Feel free to leave a comment and discuss!