Why We’ll Never Beat Eastern Teams Like This: A G2 and BLG Reflection
If you’ve been keeping tabs on competitive League of Legends, you’ve probably heard the phrase: never beat eastern team like this. It’s been tossed around a lot, and there’s a pretty good reason for it.
Let’s rewind to G2 Esports’ recent match against Bilibili Gaming (BLG). The way the game played out was so bizarre that it made many fans, myself included, wonder why the drafting and gameplay seemed so off.
What Went Wrong in the Draft?
The draft phase is like setting a puzzle in motion — every pick influences what your team can do and how well you can counter your opponent. But during that G2 vs. BLG match, G2’s draft gave heavy priority to bot lane, almost as if they expected BLG wouldn’t bother preparing for it.
Yamato, a well-known analyst, summed this up perfectly in his video analysis. He pointed out how G2 gave up so much bot priority, which is crucial for controlling a big part of the map. Without that control, it’s really hard to contest objectives or set up plays.
This wasn’t some minor misstep; it looked like G2 underestimated their opponents’ strategic preparation — something Eastern teams are famously good at.
Why Eastern Teams Are So Tough
Eastern teams, especially from regions like China, Korea, and Japan, often excel in macro gameplay, meaning their big-picture strategies, map control, and objective timing tend to be on point.
One of the reasons we hear “never beat eastern team like this” is because their teams prepare meticulously for their opponents, studying patch notes, player tendencies, and even predicting draft priorities. This preparation translates into drafting smarter and playing more coordinated games.
From my own experience watching these matches, it’s clear that if Western teams don’t adapt by improving their prep and draft strategy, they’ll keep running into these frustrating roadblocks.
Learning From the Mistakes
So what lessons can Western teams take from this?
1. Draft with intention: Don’t give away bot priority freely. It’s about controlling river vision and early fights.
2. Show respect to opponent prep: Assume that Eastern teams have a few tricks up their sleeves, and prepare accordingly.
3. Adapt gameplay dynamically: If your plan doesn’t work, be ready to change gears instead of sticking rigidly to it.
I remember a similar moment from last year’s Worlds when a Western team held a strong mid-lane advantage but failed to transition it into map control due to poor objective focus by their support players. It’s small details like this that the Eastern teams capitalize on.
What’s Next?
For the fans worried about Western competitive teams: there’s hope. Teams are constantly evolving, learning from these losses, and improving their strategic depth.
If you want to dive deeper into how drafting impacts gameplay outcomes, check out my [Link to related post]. Also, for an expert take on the mental game of esports and preparation strategies, this article by ESPN Esports is a great read: https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/.
Next time you watch a Western vs. Eastern match-up, keep an eye on draft priority, early map control, and how teams respond to pressure. It might give you a better sense of why the phrase “never beat eastern team like this” pops up so often.
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If you ask me, beating Eastern teams isn’t impossible — but doing it “like this” definitely isn’t the way.
Focus keyword used naturally throughout the article, especially at the start, in headers, and scattered in body text.
