In the upcoming match against JD Gaming, even the smallest factor could determine the outcome of the game. Both T1 and JDG are very strong teams. Given their performances, it can be said that this is truly an early final, where any team that wins has a significant chance of becoming champions. Not to mention, these two teams gather some of the top superstars in the League of Legends scene today, and they need just one “godly” moment to turn the tide.
However, many fans hope that T1 will truly end their “strange” but ineffective draft strategy that doesn’t suit the players. A prime example was at MSI 2023, where Faker had to use a champion that was very difficult to play, Nautilus. Or Oner had to use Kindred in a match. Kindred is actually a reasonable choice, but only if Oner is chosen as the main carry of the game. Otherwise, it would be hard to stack the Passive effectively, and he couldn’t support any positions in trouble.
In fact, the draft issue has always been a headache for fans when watching T1 play. Although they have a wide champion pool, sometimes T1 members are too overconfident and fail to ban strong picks from their opponents. This was clearly shown at Worlds 2022 when Aatrox in Kingen’s hands devastated Gen.G, yet T1 let this champion slip through in 3 out of 4 games, leading to their ultimate defeat.
Perhaps, T1 has gained a lot of experience from their previous bitter defeats. Moreover, JDG is even stronger than DRX. Winning the draft could indeed help T1 secure a victory when the match begins. The T1 players certainly understand that allowing JDG to have their strong picks could come at a very high price.