T1 Finds Their Winning Feel at Worlds 2024
As known, T1 had a rather disappointing debut match at Worlds 2024 after losing “fair and square” to TES. With a team that has high expectations like T1, they need to overcome this defeat with a victory to regain the trust of their fans. Their next opponent, PNG, was the perfect target, and T1 seized the opportunity to achieve their first win at Worlds 2024.
In addition to the victory over PNG, one of the positive aspects T1 displayed was their significantly improved champion selection. Notably, Zeus was given the champion Rumble, and he completely dominated the Top Lane in this match. Moreover, this pick also provided T1 with a substantial advantage in crucial team fights during the later stages of the game.
Keria Acknowledges Rumble as the Key to T1’s Success
It is important to note that on the first day of the Swiss stage at Worlds 2024, Rumble was not a highly prioritized champion in the banning/picking phase. This champion was only picked in 2 out of 8 matches that day, leading audiences to feel that Rumble was not particularly powerful or leading the meta of the tournament. However, for T1, this champion is viewed as the key to victory and aiming for further success at Worlds 2024.
“Currently, we are gradually building our banning/picking strategy and trying to prioritize champions in the current version. I believe the banning/picking meta of the Swiss stage has changed significantly between the first and second days. On the first day, many teams prioritized Marksmen and did not rate Rumble highly from the start. However, we believe this champion is very strong and will open up many favorable fighting opportunities and ultimately lead to victory” – Keria shared with the press.
Indeed, looking at T1’s recent match, viewers could see Rumble in Zeus’s hands had a tremendous impact on the game. Besides his superior laning ability, Zeus’s ultimate abilities always targeted the key positions of PNG, causing the CBLOL representatives significant difficulties in team fights. This opened up many opportunities for the remaining members of T1 to engage and win team fights.
With the victory over PNG, T1 moved into the 1-1 bracket and unfortunately, they will face a real “giant” named BLG. However, the opportunity for T1 to win this match still exists as BLG has shown significant instability after their loss to LNG. It should be noted that Rumble in the hands of Zika from LNG played exceptionally well to defeat BLG. If T1 possesses this champion, they could very well aim for a similar outcome and enter the group of teams with a 2-1 result, competing for a playoff spot.