The upcoming 2022 season is predicted to be incredibly exciting. From LPL to LCK, almost all teams have undergone personnel changes. Only a few teams have retained their old roster or brought up young players from their second teams. Among these is T1 – a team that has parted ways with veterans and at this point, it can be said that the entire T1 lineup consists of young players, except for their icon – Faker.
Recently, international media unexpectedly asserted that T1 will be a contender for the championship at the upcoming Worlds 2022. At this point, this assertion is indeed too early. However, according to the argument made, T1 has players at the peak of their careers. The bot lane duo Gumayusi – Keria has performed exceptionally well at the recent Worlds 2021, especially as it was Gumayusi’s first time participating in the biggest tournament in the League of Legends scene. Oner is becoming more mature, and Zeus is an incredibly talented young player. Not to mention that the entire team is led by the legendary Faker – who has proven to perform exceptionally well in the playmaker role.
However, this assertion from the media faced opposition from the LPL community – the region that holds the championship title from Worlds 2021 thanks to the achievement of EDward Gaming. Some even mocked: “Win LCK first and then talk”.
At this moment, T1 can be seen as having a youthful and incredibly talented lineup. If they compete at Worlds 2022, the only player lacking experience in this arena is Zeus. This could be T1’s weakness as young players are easily overwhelmed by the intensity of matches at Worlds. For instance, Flandre (EDG) or Gumayusi (T1) had their first time playing at Worlds 2021, but these players had already spent a long time competing regularly in their domestic leagues. Meanwhile, Zeus will only begin to play starting Spring 2022, after Canna’s departure, and Zeus’s psychological factors could greatly affect T1’s performance at Worlds 2022, should Faker and teammates have the opportunity to participate in this tournament.
However, any assertions made at this point are still too early. T1 in general and Zeus in particular will likely focus only on the upcoming Spring 2022 split with the goal of winning the championship to participate in MSI 2022. As for what happens afterward, it may take until Summer 2022 to draw conclusions.