For a team like T1, when they reach peak performance and play with focus, they can completely annihilate any opponent, no matter how powerful. Remember, during the LCK Spring 2022, T1 and Dplus KIA along with Gen.G were the three names competing for the championship. In that season, Gen.G only lost 3 matches in the group stage, and 2 of those were against T1. Additionally, T1 has been the only team since 2022 to have participated in 5 finals out of the 6 tournaments they attended.
Therefore, it can be said that KT Rolster’s choice to face T1 in the playoffs was rather bold, even though at the moment KT is very strong. And the reality proved it all: despite being in peak form, when facing a T1 that has regained its “champion’s demeanor”, managing to take the match to the fifth game was already a significant effort by Bdd and his teammates. In fact, some fans believe that if T1 had also picked and banned correctly in game 4, the match might not have gone on for so long.
At the same time, KT also inadvertently set an unprecedented record since LCK adopted a format that allows top teams in the standings to choose their opponents in the playoffs. Accordingly, KT became the first team in LCK history to select an opponent in the playoffs and then lose to the very team they chose. Notably, T1 had to play two consecutive BO5 matches in less than 24 hours. In other words, the T1 players had very little time to rest and prepare for the match against KT.
KT’s record is even more forgettable, as they were the team that decimated T1 in both matches during the group stage. Yet when entering the playoffs, when key players like Aiming, Bdd, and Cuzz lost their favorite champions, KT crumbled just as they had in previous seasons against T1.
For now, T1 can comfortably rest and await the outcome of the match between Gen.G and Hanwha Life Esports. As for KT, they have put themselves in a difficult position, and in a worst-case scenario, KT could even lose the entire season just because of their choice to face T1 this time.