KT’s victory exposes T1’s most blameworthy mistakes
Facing KT – a team that has been continuously defeated by T1 since June 2024, it seemed like an opportunity for Faker and his teammates to break through and create a safe distance before entering the final week of the LCK 2025 Round 3-5 group stage. However, the reigning World Champion could not seize the opportunity. In fact, they suffered a surprising 0-2 loss, a scoreline that left everyone stunned. But looking back, T1’s defeat is not too difficult to understand.
In both games, KT successfully dominated T1 in all three lanes. Given that KT had a strong bot lane draft, instead of continuing to support that lane when Gumayusi was slightly behind, T1 organized plays around the top lane, especially in game 2. With just one counter-gank, KT effectively crushed T1.
Clearly, T1 is showing a disparity in adapting slowly to their opponent’s unexpected drafts. The match against KT is not the first time T1 has allowed their opponents to secure very strong picks. Previously, their matches against NS or HLE could be attributed to T1 trying to find ways to counter, but there is no excuse for their recent loss to KT anymore.
T1 needs to regroup and immediately address their weaknesses
This is not the first time T1 has shown they adapt slowly to changes in the meta. This happened in 2024 and dragged T1 into a dark phase until the 2024 World Championship, and for their fans, that period was already too long. Moreover, T1 currently does not have as much time as last year to adapt gradually and slowly.
With only a few days left, the LCK 2025 playoffs will take place, followed by the World Championship. Except for Gen.G, no team has secured a spot yet. If T1 continues to play like they did against KT, the likelihood of them facing another defeat is very high, especially as there will not be many more paths left for Faker and his teammates.