T1 entered an important match against Bilibili Gaming (BLG) at the 2023 World Championship, marking the second encounter between the two teams in international competitions this year. In their previous meeting, BLG had caused the T1 players to “suffer” and even defeated Gen.G, earning them the nickname “LCK Slayer”. Although BLG has underperformed since MSI, they remain strong and unpredictable.
But T1 showed that they were the real disruptors with surprising picks. Right from the ban/pick phase, T1 brought out some “unusual” champion matchups that had not been seen in a long time, such as Senna – Tahm Kench or Jinx – Tahm Kench. These were once legendary combos but have gradually fallen out of favor as the meta favors high-damage, mobile Marksmen who can engage early and excel late in the game, like Xayah and Kai’Sa.
And when BLG was taken by surprise, on a day when the T1 players were in top form, Faker and his teammates were the ones who emerged victorious in the end. Moreover, T1 secured an early ticket to the Quarterfinals of the 2023 Worlds while putting BLG in a tough spot. Their next opponent will be G2 Esports, a strong representative from Europe who just suffered a defeat against NRG from the LCS region.
However, many believe that even though Gumayusi had a stunning KDA in both games (4/0/4 and 11/0/3 respectively) and earned MVP of the BO3, Keria and Oner also deserve significant recognition. Keria, with his Tahm Kench in both games, effectively protected the carries, especially Gumayusi. His devour plays with Tahm Kench truly turned the tide in BLG’s team fights.
As for Oner, he had an outstanding performance with Jarvan IV. His aggression and control made it much easier for T1 to execute their strategies. In fact, he completely shut down XUN from BLG, whether using damage champions or tanky fighters.
With this victory, T1 has fulfilled their initial goal. They will have some time to rest before their opponents in the Quarterfinals are fully determined and prepare for the challenging road ahead towards the 2023 Worlds championship.