After more than 3 years, T1 has missed an LCK finals match
The 2024 LCK Summer Finals is truly special, witnessing what may be one of the biggest surprises in recent years, as the mighty Gen.G was “shut down” by Hanwha Life Esports, ending their domestic championship streak. The surprise is that, prior to this finals, HLE had been defeated by Gen.G in every BO3 and BO5 they faced, most recently in the winners’ finals.
Additionally, the 2024 LCK Summer Finals also marks the first time since Summer 2021 that T1 has not appeared in a domestic finals match.
While it is known that T1 has a history of underperforming in Summer tournaments, this year, the reigning 2023 World Champion is facing even more difficulties. Not only due to Faker’s injury but also the form of other members.
However, T1 still has a chance to qualify for the 2024 World Championship, needing just one win in the regional qualifiers. But with T1 not making it to the 2024 LCK Summer Finals, Riot and the LCK organizers have to face the “consequences”.
T1 Still Proves to Be a Strong Attraction
It is not hard to see that both Gen.G and HLE delivered a very thrilling match. However, the appeal of T1 is something that no other team can replace, at least at this moment. The LCK organizers and Riot understand this when they look at the statistics from Esports Charts for the highest total views of the finals. Accordingly, the HLE – Gen.G match had over 1.6 million views.
However, the issue lies in the fact that the 2024 LCK Spring Finals, also a 5-game series, achieved over 2.6 million views. Of course, these figures do not account for the broadcasting platforms in China.
Clearly, the difference of over 1 million views is concerning for Riot and the LCK organizers. Moreover, the T1 – Gen.G match did not even have the same level of intensity in all 5 games as the recent Gen.G – HLE match. As statistics show, aside from the finals, the other 4 matches in the top 5 with the highest peak views of LCK Summer 2024 all featured T1.
At this moment, it seems that not only League of Legends fans but also the LCK organizers and Riot are eagerly hoping that T1 will overcome the regional qualifiers to attend the upcoming 2024 World Championship.