A Critical Issue That Deepened T1’s Crisis
On September 20th, the global T1 fan community had the opportunity to enjoy a documentary about the team’s journey throughout 2023. The film had been screened in theaters in Korea for some time, and this is the YouTube version for T1’s international audience. Notably, the documentary reveals many behind-the-scenes stories, with the most significant being the period when T1 faced a severe crisis, consistently finishing in second place and losing Faker due to injury. It is worth mentioning that the film also highlights a serious issue that had previously caused T1 to sink deeper into “crisis” last year.
Specifically, the players themselves admitted that during the crisis period, especially after the defeat at MSI 2023 and the temporary loss of Faker in the Summer Split that followed, T1’s players felt a significant loss of confidence and there was no longer trust among team members. This is extremely serious because League of Legends is always a five-player sport. If just one link encounters issues, the remaining members will also struggle to operate smoothly. Notably, this problem seems to be resurfacing in this year’s Summer Split.
T1 Still Has Hopes for Worlds 2024
However, one reality pointed out in the clip is that after the crisis period and when the members truly recognized Faker’s importance to the team, as well as the connection among everyone, the T1 players began to communicate more actively, even in defeat. Perhaps the T1 players themselves understand that remaining silent is not a good approach and can easily lead them deeper into crisis. Moreover, T1 subsequently won the championship at Worlds 2023. This can be seen as a result that demonstrates the real improvement of this team.
In the 2024 season, T1 is actually facing even more issues than last year. But precisely because of that, when at the bottom of the abyss, if T1 can once again achieve glorious feats, the accomplishment will undoubtedly be even greater, solidifying T1’s position in the League of Legends scene.