T1’s sudden announcement to fire coaching duo Daeny and Zefa right before the start of Week 6 of the LCK was truly a shock to League of Legends fans worldwide. Changing coaches mid-season is a rare occurrence in professional League of Legends, and this marks the first time in the history of this team for such a decision to be made during the season.
In a press conference before the match against KT Rolster, T1’s Director Polt mentioned that even the players were shocked by this decision. This raised concerns about T1’s morale going into their clash with their long-time rivals in the “Telecom War.” However, a completely opposite scenario unfolded as Faker and his teammates delivered a spectacular performance, defeating KT with a score of 2-0 in less than 60 minutes of play.
Besides the coaching change, T1 also made adjustments to their lineup for the match against KT. Oner officially replaced Cuzz, while Gumayusi continued to be trusted with the role of main ADC.
It remains unclear whether the effects of Daeny’s dismissal were too significant, but T1 displayed a completely different style of play compared to when he was still in charge. Oner, in his debut match as a starter, showcased an extremely aggressive playstyle, while the other players were also unhesitant to engage in fights at any moment.
With the advantage gained during the laning phase, the T1 players easily crushed KT with a proactive snowballing strategy, not giving their opponents any chance to fight back.
It’s also worth mentioning that KT is not currently at their peak performance, but this victory for T1 is still an extremely commendable result, especially considering it came during a time when the team had just weathered a significant storm and is expected to face ongoing challenges in the near future.