Entering the showdown with arch-rival DWG KIA amidst a myriad of personnel issues, facing the defending LCK champions can be considered a monumental challenge for T1 at this time.
The concern of T1 fans was quickly realized as T1 continued to falter against DK, losing the first game with a series of handling errors. Not to mention, DK’s strategy was quite ‘tricky’ as they used Zac to counter T1’s lineup. However, shortly after, Faker and his teammates rallied their spirits and displayed an extraordinarily vibrant performance, surprisingly turning the tide against their opponent with a final victory of 2-1.
DWG KIA is no longer a name with the terrifying strength they had in the spring split, but for T1, they are indeed an opponent they greatly “fear.” In the 11 previous encounters in the Bo3 group stage, T1 has only defeated DK twice and lost nine times. Therefore, T1’s “victory in adversity” this time has caught many by surprise.
Even in the first half of the season, although DK showed signs of instability and T1 had an impressive performance, Faker and his teammates still threw the victory into the hands of their opponents due to critical mistakes. This shows that DWG is truly a “jinx” that T1 fans always have to fear. Even during the LCK domination period from 2019 to early 2020, T1 was never undefeated against DWG, let alone during their current slump.
However, the reality of the match just held has shown that the mid-game substitution indeed had some impact on the players’ mentality. T1 still made mistakes and handling errors, but they quickly learned from their experiences in the subsequent games. Moreover, even with mistakes, both in the victory over KT and the win against DK, the errors made by T1 players excited fans more, as they stemmed from a change in gameplay, playing actively, and not hesitating to dive into “50-50” situations.
In reality, it is still too early to assert that T1 can finish the season in a better position than during the time of Coach Daeny – Zefa, but at least according to the opinion of the majority of viewers, their gameplay has improved significantly, presenting themselves as a heavyweight, despite being considered past their prime, they still make any opponent wary.
