T1 Struggles but Gumayusi Shows Positivity
In the past few days of the 2025 World Championship, T1 fans have experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, only able to partially “breathe a sigh of relief” knowing that their next opponent in the 1-2 bracket is only 100 Thieves – a team that is undoubtedly considered much weaker than T1. Moreover, T1 will have about 3 days to prepare for the upcoming matches. In this context, a positive point about Gumayusi has been noted: so far, Gumayusi has not used any champion more than 2 times, despite being the marksman who has played the most matches.
Specifically, in the 4 games against IG and 3 BO1 matches played in the Swiss Stage, Gumayusi has used a total of 7 different champions. Among them are 2 champions that are considered his “weak points”, namely Yunara and Kai’Sa. Of these, Gumayusi has won 4 games and lost 3.
According to many evaluations, T1 seems to be playing just as many experts and fans have suggested, trying to gather as much data as possible. Furthermore, using a diverse champion pool also helps Gumayusi improve his performance with champions that have been considered his “weaknesses” and provides T1 with more diverse options in the upcoming BO5 matches combined with Fearless Draft.
T1 Needs to Regain Their Bottom Lane Playstyle Like in 2022
In the year 2022, T1 played around the Bottom Lane very well, which laid the groundwork for other lanes to also become strong and helped T1 create an unbeaten streak until the Summer Split of that year (nationally speaking). This could be a good direction for T1 this season, as Fearless Draft is causing T1 many difficulties regarding champion picks, especially for Doran and Faker.
Every match for T1 now could be their last. The reigning champion of the 2024 World Championship has no way out, but it may be from here that they become the most dangerous and unpredictable.