Dexerto sat with Doran right after their Worlds 2023 loss at the hand of BLG, a loss that came after Gen.G almost clawed their way to the organization’s first reverse sweep victory. He explained what he thought may have gone wrong in the set and, when asked whether he’s confident in Gen.G next year, Doran revealed next year’s roster won’t be the same.
Gen.G is a team known for incredibly strong domestic showings and underwhelming international finishes. The team has bested all the strongest teams in the LCK, proving themselves to be supreme within the region. However, that domestic success has come with international heartbreak, with both of their biggest losses being at the hand of BLG in 2023.
The first time these teams met at MSI, BLG shut them out completely in 3-0 fashion. This time at Worlds 2023, Gen.G almost managed to make it a historic reverse sweep for the organization, but they ultimately fell in game 5.
Dexerto spoke with Choi ‘Doran’ Hyeon-joon a short time after his loss to ask about the series and his expectations for next year. As it turns out, it’s a bit difficult to gauge expectations considering that Gen.G roster changes will be coming soon according to Doran.
Doran expects roster changes in GenG’s Worlds 2023 aftermath
Though Gen.G’s current roster has had a formula for great success domestically this year, they failed to take down BLG at two different events. BLG seems to have their number, and no amount of success domestically seems to be able to prepare Gen.G to face them.
Doran in particular was crushed after the loss, especially considering how much focus Bin’s storyline as a player puts on the top lane. Though Doran put up a good fight, especially in games 3 and 4, he wasn’t able to keep up that incredibly high level of performance through to game 5.
The final moments of a LEGENDARY QUARTERFINAL. #Worlds2023 pic.twitter.com/4g1cdptYDD
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) November 3, 2023
“I tried to use the [MSI] loss against BLG as a stepping stone and show my improvement at Worlds. But it didn’t work out, and I’m really sad about it.”
The Gnar pick was an especially strange look for Doran considering it’s a champion he rarely plays. Champs like Aatrox, Jax, Rumble, Renekton, and other top laners with high trading and carry potential tend to be more his speed. Gnar is comparably a very safe, teamfight-oriented pick.
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“So, we went with Gnar because it was a great pick for the team composition. I agreed with that, but it didn’t quite work out.”
Doran commented that it felt as if they were “less prepared than BLG”, and that the team bested them when it came to drafting and overall strategy. This is something that made competing at an international event much different from domestic competition for Doran.
“What makes Worlds really different is you don’t get to make your changes during the regular season like you do when you face other LCK teams, for instance. But for the rest, I think it depends on how well you’re prepared for Worlds.”
So, we asked Doran about whether or not he felt like Gen.G’s experience here would make the team stronger next year. After all, going from 0-3 to 2-3 is a massive improvement, one that could mean the team is on an upward trend compared to earlier this year.
Doran’s answer, however, was an unexpected one.
“I can’t quite tell because we’re expecting some roster changes in November. I don’t know which players will be joining next year, but Gen.G is and always will be a strong team.”
All Doran had to say on the matter was that roster changes were coming, but that he wasn’t sure who would be getting replaced. However, with things ending how they have internationally for Gen.G, it makes sense for them to watch to switch things up.