T1 remains unbeaten since the dismissal of coaching duo Daeny and Zefa, but their opponent – Liiv SANDBOX – has also showcased impressive form by continuously defeating heavyweights in the LCK during the second half of the season.
Ultimately, T1 became the next victim of this team, and what’s more “painful” is that the one who left a mark on their winning streak shutdown was none other than the former player Effort, with a legendary Baron steal in game 3, paving the way for LSB to clinch a 2-1 victory.
After a victorious skirmish at the 20-minute mark in game 3, T1 immediately called for a Baron rush, but they underestimated the resistance from their opponents, failing to keep an eye on support Effort, leading to an unforgettable Baron steal by his Alistar, as he used everything he had to dive in and snatch the strongest buff on the map right under the noses of four T1 members.
In reality, Effort’s Baron steal wasn’t necessarily a game-deciding moment, but it was the core reason for the shift in momentum favoring LSB. T1’s team fighting capabilities were completely hampered as Ryze from LSB continued to be enabled to scale steadily towards the end of the game.
In this scenario, alongside Effort’s decisive handling, the biggest reason stemmed from the mistakes of the T1 players themselves. They seemed overly complacent in this situation, failing to clear LSB’s control ward (or perhaps it was hidden in a corner), and moreover, when Alistar dove in, the T1 players also did not respond well; following the usual “playbook,” they should have stopped damaging Baron and focused on Effort, but ultimately, Oner and his teammates reacted too slowly, leading to this rare Baron steal.
The defeat against Liiv SANDBOX halted T1’s winning streak at three. However, this loss is not a disaster, as the overall performance of the T1 players remains stable, and they continue to showcase their diverse strategies in game deployment.