FLY's Valiant Effort Against GEN in Worlds 2024 Quarterfinals

The League of Legends 2024 World Championship quarterfinals matchup between North America’s FlyQuest (FLY) and Korea’s Gen.G (GEN) proved to be an instant classic. While GEN ultimately emerged victorious with a 3-2 series score, it was FLY who captured the hearts of fans around the globe with their undaunted spirit and surprisingly strong performance against one of the tournament favorites.

Heading into the series, few gave the North American 4th seed FLY much of a chance against the reigning MSI champions GEN. However, FLY came out swinging in Game 1 with an unconventional draft featuring AP Alistar in the mid lane. The bold strategy paid off as mid laner Toucouille absolutely smashed Chovy’s Corki, setting the tone for FLY’s impressive early game throughout the series.

FLY continued to impress with their read on the meta and clean execution in Games 2 and 3. Jungler Josedeodo’s masterful Rek’Sai play put constant pressure on GEN while AD carry Johnsun’s Kalista was unkillable in late game teamfights. Support player Aphromoo turned back the clock with incredible engages on Leona. While GEN’s individual talent and superior scaling won out in Games 2 and 4, FLY refused to go down without a fight.

In a win-or-go-home Game 5, FLY once again whipped out a surprise Teemo top lane pick for veteran Kumo. The unorthodox champion select threw GEN for a loop as FLY jumped out to an early lead. However, Chovy’s Kassadin became an unstoppable force in the late game, clinching the series victory for GEN in a hard-fought 42 minute nailbiter.

Despite the disappointing end result for FLY, their valiant effort did not go unnoticed. All five FLY starters received a standing ovation from the crowd in New York City after the series. Support legend Aphromoo reflected, “Of course losing stings, but I’m so proud of how our team played today. Taking two games off a team of GEN’s caliber is an accomplishment. We showed that NA can compete with the best in the world.”

FLY’s incredible run captured the imaginations of fans worldwide and injected excitement into a tournament that had been dominated by Eastern teams. While they fell just short of glory, FLY’s inspiring “leave it all on the Rift” performance won the admiration of the global League community and gave North American fans hope for the future. As bittersweet as the result was, FLY proved they belonged on the Worlds stage.