T1 has a weakness far inferior to their direct competitors
In a crucial match against HLE recently, T1 suffered a surprising and swift defeat with a score of 0-3. This score could be considered unexpected by both the League of Legends community and professionals, even for those who optimistically believed HLE would successfully “take revenge.” However, this loss also highlighted a critical flaw that T1 has yet to improve: the team has “forgotten” how to operate a hyper carry.
In 2 out of 3 games, T1 selected 2 extremely strong carry champions for Gumayusi: Kai’Sa (game 1) and Yunara (game 2). However, they were unable to effectively execute a playstyle centered around the AD carry. According to the principles of playing a hyper carry composition: create space and cover for the AD to “farm” in the early game, as these champions are usually very weak at the start; try to secure as many kills for the AD as possible, and set the stage for the AD to deal damage in the late game.
However, in the two crucial games, the opening game and the deciding game, when T1 managed to execute this aspect, they forgot another key factor. In game 1, while Gumayusi had a lane advantage, Keria shifted to gank. In game 3, with Gumayusi having both a lane advantage and an early kill, T1 engaged in scattered fights. Overall, in both games, Gumayusi made significant efforts, but it was clearly too late. A common characteristic: throughout the games, T1 did not provide Gumayusi with many opportunities to deal damage, while Viper had too much freedom.
Notably, this is not the first time T1’s weakness has been exposed. While the AD carries of top teams like Gen.G, HLE, KT, DK, and even FOX have at least 1-2 games utilizing hyper carries, T1 has almost overlooked these champions. The fact that teams do not need to ban hyper carries when banning Gumayusi’s champion pool also implicitly confirms they are not afraid if T1 has to play late-game champions.
T1 has no way back
With the defeat against HLE, T1 has only one path left to reach the World Championship, which is to win against DK/FOX. But if they continue to perform like they did in the recent match against HLE, the worst-case scenario awaits T1.