Legendary duo from SKT T1 “reminds” Coach KkOma
Although this isn’t the first time T1 has lost to HLE, it is clear that the defeat during the Regular Season on April 12 was the most memorable loss for both the team and T1 fans. Not only was it a comprehensive defeat, but it was also a pitiful loss, largely due to self-destruction. In fact, right after the match, two legendary players of SKT T1 and the professional League of Legends scene – Wolf and Bang – had to voice their opinions about their former coach.
Bang commented: “They (T1) lost their lanes terribly. It’s not just about champion picks. The bot lane was completely destroyed, and when Xin Zhao (Peanut) came down to gank, it was already too late to salvage the situation.” Meanwhile, Wolf was more straightforward: “Both champion picks and execution were a mess. Everything was terrible. Kim Jeong-gyun (Coach KkOma’s real name), just open up all the fan comments and take them in, then make the necessary changes.” Both Bang and Wolf co-streamed the recent match of T1.
Notably, apart from Wolf, who frequently analyzes or comments on the gameplay of his former teammate Faker and the younger players, Bang has been more reserved, especially after he was recently attacked by the anti-fan group T1Gall. However, this time, both legendary stars of SKT T1 spoke up and directly reminded Coach KkOma, indicating how serious the situation has become.
T1’s coaching staff needs to regain their clarity before it’s too late
In reality, promoting players from Challengers and expanding personnel options wouldn’t be a problem if the team’s coaching staff provided clear announcements about the personnel situation before matches and if the promoted player performed convincingly. In recent seasons, top teams like KT and Gen.G have regularly done this. T1 itself was a “model” in the 2021 season, and fans had no issues with it.
However, when promoting Smash, this team turned the young player into “target practice” and transformed Gumayusi from a two-time champion ADC into someone with “poor performance and spirit, needing recovery.” Clearly, this is unreasonable. Even in mainstream sports, benching a superstar who just shone and helped the team win a world championship after only two matches of the new season would be enough to infuriate fans, so the reactions from T1 fans and Gumayusi’s supporters are understandable.
In this context, T1 remains silent and continues to make puzzling moves. The MSI ticket is increasingly out of reach. If the current instability persists, it’s likely that T1 will also find it hard to “dream” of the Worlds to “turn on mode” like in previous years.