Despite being the most successful team in professional League of Legends history, T1 has lost its dominant position as it heads into Worlds 2021. They arrived in Iceland as the LCK runner-up and the third seed from South Korea. If you’ve been watching League of Legends long enough, you understand that these statistics mean nothing at a Worlds tournament – a stage where anything can happen.
In other words, T1 being the third seed or not winning the LCK does not affect this team’s chances of winning at Worlds. What fans are truly worried about isn’t the pre-Worlds performance, but the quality of T1’s roster.
Recently, Nemesis – Former Fnatic player and now a streamer under Gen.G Esports, shared his personal opinion on T1’s chances of winning the tournament this year. When asked by fans whether Faker and his teammates had a shot at clinching the Worlds title, Nemesis replied succinctly: “I don’t see any chance at all.”
Why is a Gen.G streamer being asked about T1? Simply because right now, this team is the hottest name in South Korea, making its return to the Worlds stage after being absent in 2020. As for Nemesis’s reasoning, he aligns with many other experts, believing that T1’s current roster isn’t mature enough to win an international tournament.
According to media assessments, T1 is not actually rated too highly in terms of strength, even though they haven’t finalized their roster for Worlds. Veteran stars in T1 like Faker, Teddy, and Cuzz are familiar faces in international tournaments, but Cuzz or even Teddy may risk being excluded from the lineup or only being benched if T1 opts to prioritize slots for younger talents like Oner, Ellim, or Gumayusi.
These three stars are all major talents in the LCK, but they have not shown the necessary stability in recent years, especially in Faker’s position. He truly “carried” T1 during the LCK Summer 2021, but raised concerns among fans with his ongoing habit of making mistakes at crucial moments – a pattern that occurred in 2019.
Alongside Faker will be young talents making their first appearance on the international stage like Canna, Oner, and Gumayusi. Their skills are undeniable, but experience and composure will be significant questions for these names. Perhaps the one who gives T1 fans the most reassurance right now is Keria. T1’s support is a blend of youth, competitive experience, and stability in performance.
Overall, in terms of personnel, T1 really doesn’t have much chance of winning at Worlds 2021, but as mentioned, Worlds is a tournament full of unexpected variables, and this possibility can absolutely occur if Faker showcases his true level and T1’s young stars shine confidently, rather than it being as “no hope” as Nemesis stated.