Another epic showdown between T1 and Gen.G has arrived, and although it wasn’t the opening match of the two teams in the domestic league, it still attracted significant attention from the audience. Everyone was eager to see what T1 could do against the reigning champion of the Spring Split after a transformative MSI 2024 in terms of meta and strategies. Of course, there were concerns about whether T1 could break Gen.G’s streak, especially when Faker and his teammates had not performed at their best against Nongshim RedForce.
However, the reality is that no surprises occurred, and T1 faced another clean defeat against their direct competitor for a spot in the 2024 World Championship as well as the LCK Summer title this year. In both games, although Gen.G and T1 exhibited different faces, the result was that midway through the game, Gen.G accelerated while T1 could only endure. Yet, for many viewers, the truth is that T1 had lost right from the draft phase.
With a flexible and resilient lineup like Gen.G, featuring strong picks like Skarner and Nidalee, T1 had no effective countermeasures. They even attempted some experimental strategies, but Oner’s Taliyah was ineffective, while Gumayusi’s Jhin could not compete with Peyz’s Ezreal in terms of flexibility and damage at critical stages. Many viewers even criticized T1’s coaching staff for their puzzling picks in this important match.
– “It hurts to watch T1’s draft. Skarner is the strongest choice right now, and they didn’t pick or ban that champion. There’s so much to say about the current state of the team, and it’s mostly very bad”
– “Sometimes I think I should just not look at these draft picks”
– “The coaching staff at the 2023 World Championship was better”
– “I was like, ‘Wait, what?…’ Experimenting right in the middle of the match. Have you guys forgotten how you used Zac in Mid Lane before?”
Nonetheless, it must be acknowledged that in both games, Gen.G played flawlessly. The victory for the reigning champions of the LCK and MSI 2024 was entirely deserved. As for T1, this defeat isn’t catastrophic, and they remain contenders for the title. However, the issues have been present and accumulating for a very long time. This may be the real reason that T1 must address immediately if they don’t want the season to face even more difficulties beyond their control.