After the match between Hanwha Life Esports and KT Rolster on August 13 (Vietnam time), HLE has officially said goodbye to the playoffs LCK Summer 2023. They still have a chance to compete for a spot at the 2023 World Championship in the regional qualifiers. Meanwhile, KT will face T1 for the second time in this LCK Summer playoffs. The match between the two teams will also determine the last spot for the grand finals. Additionally, it will be the second slot representing LCK at the highest level international tournament for League of Legends to be held in Korea soon.
Including the upcoming match between the two teams, T1 and KT have had and will have a total of 4 “telecom battles” this season. Unlike previous encounters, the “telecom battles” have never been more exciting and thrilling than now. KT currently has the capability to challenge any major team, not just T1. However, importantly, in their most recent encounter, KT was defeated by T1. In all 3 games lost, they allowed Faker and his teammates to dominate.
But in this rematch, T1 is no longer in the “underdog” position and both teams will be evaluated as equals. In fact, many fans pointed out that T1 even has a clearer chance of winning. Firstly, Faker and his teammates gained a certain level of confidence after defeating KT last time. Moreover, in their match against Gen.G, T1 made Chovy and his teammates sweat. In fact, if T1 hadn’t made a “self-destructive” draft ban in game 4, they could have been the first team to reach the grand finals of LCK Summer 2023 as well as secure an early spot at the 2023 Worlds.
That mistake not only brought T1 back down to earth but surely alerted the team to rectify it immediately. The upcoming match against KT will see a cautious and deliberate T1 in each move. According to many predictions, T1 might even accept returning to the “underdog” position, and only then will they actually pose more dangers, just like how T1 defeated KT just days ago.
With a relaxed mindset, confidence is present, and the critical weaknesses have been made clear. Therefore, T1 is evaluated as being on par, if not somewhat more favorable than KT in terms of winning chances. Of course, everything is still ahead and both teams will have to make every effort to accomplish their missions.