In recent years, much has been said about T1 as a team approaching perfection. They have a blend of seasoned veterans and young talents, combining high-level competitive experience with the enthusiasm and determination of players still hungry for titles. However, unfortunately for Faker and his teammates, what they have achieved is only the LCK Spring 2022 championship. After that, they faced a streak of four second-place finishes, both domestically and internationally.
However, after each time they have “fallen at the gates of paradise”, T1 comes back stronger. After the loss at MSI 2022, T1 showed a new side, careful and decisive, and even without an undefeated streak, they still made it to the finals of two other tournaments shortly afterward. After the defeat at the 2022 World Championship, T1 maintained their roster but their gameplay became significantly more creative. It’s just unfortunate that on a single day throughout Spring 2023, Gen.G proved to be superior to T1, and Faker and his teammates missed the chance for the title.
However, T1’s opponents have not had a good journey after defeating this team to claim the championship. First, there is Royal Never Give Up. The LPL representative defeated T1 during the most troubled MSI in history, only to then slide down in the domestic league, having to enter the World Championship through the play-in stage. Subsequently, RNG was also eliminated early in the quarterfinals by T1. Until Spring 2023, RNG remains in crisis and the “Spring aura” no longer helps the “Royal Legion” reach London.
Next, DRX also fell into the “curse of defeating T1”. No one expected it, and historically, there has never been a case of a team going from the play-in stage to winning the championship. Moreover, along their way, DRX defeated three World Championship winners: Edward Gaming, Gen.G, and T1. However, in the LCK Spring 2023, DRX returned to the bottom of the rankings after parting ways with several key players who had won the title in the US.
Gen.G themselves, after winning against T1 in the Summer LCK last year, also had a rather tough journey at the 2022 World Championship. They lost immediately in their opening group stage match, and if RNG hadn’t faced health issues, Gen.G might have finished second in that group. Facing DK, Gen.G had to rely on Ruler’s brilliance to secure victory before being defeated by DRX in the semifinals.
Currently, Gen.G has also won against T1 once again and is participating in their first MSI. Peyz and Doran have performed very well in the finals, but MSI is a completely different battlefield where surprises can happen. Moreover, each Major region has two spots for the tournament, making it even more competitive, and Gen.G must focus if they don’t want to repeat the “curse”. Especially since at MSI, they are just “newcomers”.