Gen.G Esports failed to qualify for the MSI after a 2-3 loss to T1 in the '2026 LoL Champions Korea (LCK)' Road to MSI 2nd Seed Qualifier, held at the Wonju DB Promy Arena in Wonju, Gangwon-do, on the 14th. Their quest for a 2026 MSI three-peat, following their 2024 and 2025 titles, ended before it could even begin.

Appearing at the post-match press conference, Head Coach Yoo Sang-wook summarized the day's performance: "It's very disappointing to lose the final match. I don't think our overall performance was bad, but we seemed out of sync during crucial moments. We lost because we were slightly outmatched by our opponent in both pick-ban and team play."

Given the intense strategic battle in pick-ban throughout the five-game series, many questions focused on the draft. According to Coach Yoo, Gen.G's draft direction was centered on gaining early-game priority in the top side of the map. This led to the selection of various champions, including Jayce, Nidalee jungle, and top-lane Gangplank.

In Game 3, Gen.G picked Jayce jungle, while T1 countered by flexing Sion into the mid lane. Regarding this, Coach Yoo gave a candid response: "We prepared Jayce jungle because we felt we needed a flex pick for a best-of-five series. I hadn't anticipated the opponent flexing Sion into the mid lane during the draft."

The Gangplank pick for 'Kiin' Kim Gi-in in Game 4 was an impromptu decision. Coach Yoo explained, "We hadn't specifically prepared Gangplank. However, it's a champion 'Kiin' is exceptionally good at, and it had appeared once or twice in practice. We decided that we needed a damage-dealing champion of that caliber."

The decision to pick the off-meta Nidalee jungle in the final Game 5 was rooted in trust in 'Canyon' Kim Geon-bu. Coach Yoo stated, "'Canyon' is very skilled on Nidalee, and we felt that a composition built around her was not a bad tier pick when it came down to a Game 5."

'Ruler' Park Jae-hyuk, who joined the press conference, identified poor decision-making in advantageous situations as the cause of the loss. "There were many times we didn't play well when we were ahead. It's regrettable," he said. When asked about the Baron call in Game 2, 'Ruler' appeared deep in thought, explaining, "I think that's something we need to discuss once we get back. There was back-and-forth about whether to commit or not, and we ended up going for it."

Finally, 'Ruler' concluded the interview by saying, "The regular season wasn't easy, but I think we found our footing as we kept working hard heading into the second round. This loss gives us some time off, and I will use that time to prepare well for the EWC."