In the upcoming semifinals of the 2023 World Championship (Worlds), the clash between JD Gaming (JDG) and T1 is sure to attract a lot of attention. The reason lies in JDG’s quest for the “Grand Slam of titles” while T1 stands as the last representative of the LCK. This matchup between the two teams promises to be incredibly intense and exciting.
For T1, they recently had a dominant victory over LNG Esports (LNG) with a score of 3-0. This win has instilled confidence among LCK fans regarding T1’s potential to become world champions. However, player BeryL expressed concern about T1’s upcoming match against the formidable JDG, particularly with their strong Bottom Lane presence.
“T1 is certainly very familiar with the Bottom Lane control playstyle due to their strong laning capabilities. However, JDG’s Bottom Lane is also very powerful with outstanding players. We will still have to wait and see if this playstyle will be effective when T1 faces JDG. If they can manage it, they may consider a victory,” BeryL shared.
Looking back at the match between JDG and KT Rolster (KT), viewers could see Ruler’s excellent ability to “carry the team.” Moreover, Ruler and Missing also demonstrated strong laning skills in this match, particularly in games 2 and 3 when using Jinx and Sivir along with Rakan. Thanks to the significant advantage created by this duo, JDG was able to control the map and secure many favorable fight angles, ultimately winning the match.
Therefore, BeryL’s concerns are valid as T1 may struggle to maintain a dominant position in the Bottom Lane like they did in the previous match against LNG. If this happens, Oner’s position as Jungle (and T1’s overall gameplay) could be significantly affected. It will be challenging for him to replicate his achievement of securing 12 Dragon objectives as he did against LNG earlier, given JDG’s much stronger Bottom Lane.
Therefore, it is fair to say that the Bottom Lane position will play a decisive role in the outcome of the match between JDG and T1. If the duo Gumayusi and Keria can maintain their high performance like in the match against LNG, T1’s chance of defeating JDG is entirely possible.