As we know, one of the issues causing T1 difficulties during the recently concluded 2024 LCK Spring was the DDoS attacks. According to Faker, players faced numerous problems while practicing and ranking up even when using private lobbies. While not blaming all their failures on this issue, it is evident that the continuous targeted DDoS attacks are not a positive situation. This not only affects their professional preparation but also impacts the mentality of the players to some extent. Notably, a T1 representative admitted that this issue had been ongoing since the end of the 2023 World Championship, right before the new season, and T1 had to resolve it independently.
However, recently, just before the 2024 LCK Summer is about to kick off, the situation seems unresolved and is heading in a more serious direction. The most apparent manifestation is the continuous reports from the League of Legends community regarding DDoS attacks while ranking up with T1 players. Specifically, just recently, Zeros also became a “victim” when he ranked up and encountered Keria. While viewers were watching the stream, Zeros was DDoSed and had to leave the match.
This is seen as a new method of attack by malicious actors targeting T1 players. Instead of attacking T1 players directly—as was the previous method, which has been blocked—this time, the targets are the players alongside T1 players. This is easier to execute because it is difficult to trace and handle. Moreover, although the current Korean rank (according to regulations) is only available to players in Korea or those authorized by Riot, there are still a significant number of accounts being traded in other parts of the world. Therefore, Riot cannot manage all cases of players being DDoSed when encountering T1 like this.
But despite the different methods, they share the same goal: to hinder the training and ranking process of T1 players and isolate T1 within the League of Legends environment. Because whether T1 is DDoSed or their teammates are, it creates a sense of anxiety and apprehension for anyone who wants to scrim with these players or accidentally encounter T1 in rank.
Currently, both T1 and Riot, as well as the LCK organizers, have not commented on the incident. Viewers can only speculate: the upcoming season will continue to be a challenging journey for T1, and ironically, these difficulties arise from factors completely outside of their control.