Although the LCK playoffs have only seen 3 matches so far and the journey ahead is still long, the match between KT Rolster and T1 has drawn significant attention from the community. This is because KT chose T1 right after this team had a tough victory against Dplus KIA. T1 was completely underestimated, both in terms of performance in this Summer split of LCK and their preparation. They had less than 24 hours to prepare for the match against KT after exceeding DK.
Therefore, T1’s victory is even more significant. Notably, not only did they defeat KT, but in all three of T1’s winning games, Faker and his teammates showed a clear dominance once they gained advantages. No one recognized the image of T1 that had lost to KT in the two group stage matches anymore. Many fans even believe that, just as Coach Tom shared, T1 right now might be an even stronger version than before Faker’s injury.
In particular, the T1 players also shared some surprising insights regarding their motivation to defeat KT in such an impressive manner. Support player Keria shared right on stage after the match: “I didn’t know they would choose us for today, so that hurt my pride. From that moment, my heart ignited. My heart is on fire now, and I will keep this up until the finals. I will do my best.”
But the reason from Oner truly made fans laugh. Specifically, T1’s Jungler wanted to defeat KT just because this team made him… miss an appointment with the dentist. Oner stated: “I didn’t think KT would choose us. So I thought we would have a day off today and I had scheduled an appointment with the dentist. And because of them, I had to reschedule. This is really annoying, and it gave me a strong desire to win. I came in with the spirit that I must win, and I’m very happy that I did.” Additionally, when KT’s base exploded, Oner shouted loudly: “Why did you dare to choose us? Why did you dare to choose us?”
The confidence is clearly soaring among the T1 players after defeating KT. This victory officially marks the return of the top contender for the championship. Of course, T1 still has at least 2 more matches to fight. But the fans of this team have reasons to celebrate, and the T1 players will also prepare the best for the remaining journey of LCK Summer 2023.