Entering the winner’s bracket match against Gen.G, T1 had a significant advantage, riding high on a two-game winning streak. Notably, one of those victories was against KT Rolster – the formidable team that topped the standings after the LCK Summer 2023 group stage concluded. Moreover, T1 had a huge motivation: a victory against Gen.G would not only secure a spot in the LCK finals but also a direct ticket to the 2023 World Championship, thus helping T1 break the curse of “not participating in Worlds held at home.”
Remarkably, T1 was very close to achieving their goal, taking a 2-1 lead after winning the third game. Indeed, seeing T1 dominate and obliterate Gen.G, many spectators believed that the winner’s bracket final would only require four games. But in the end, Gen.G was the team leaving LoL Park with smiles. T1’s defeat this time did not stem from being outmatched by their opponent. Many viewers bluntly stated: “Gen.G played well, but T1 also lost on their own.”
The evidence brought up was T1’s “joke” pick when they gave Vayne to Gumayusi. While it is known that Vayne is a champion that gets stronger over time, she is difficult to operate in the current meta, especially during the early to mid-game, which is the hottest period. T1 paid the price for their choice, as Gen.G also made a “strange” pick of Gangplank. However, importantly, Gangplank is a champion that can impact fights from a distance while Vayne cannot.
Even T1 fans found it hard to understand the choice of Vayne for AD Carry Gumayusi. Although it is true that many AD picks were banned, in the last two rounds, T1 did not let Gumayusi use Lucian (the champion that helped defeat KT) or Aphelios (a meta-appropriate champion). Meanwhile, Keria only used Braum – a champion that offers tankiness but lacks mobility. One opinion suggests: “T1 was too overconfident using Vayne. Gen.G’s lineup is strong from start to finish, especially Zeri. Meanwhile, T1 had to divide resources too much, and Gumayusi was not very effective in early game fights.” Some even recalled a similar mistake due to overconfidence that led to T1’s failure at the 2022 Worlds.
However, T1 has certainly learned many lessons from this match. They still have one more game to correct their mistakes and achieve their goals. Of course, T1 must play even more focused and avoid ineffective draft picks as they did in the recent match against Gen.G.