Since its emergence in the history of the professional League of Legends arena, LCK has always been regarded as one of the two most powerful regions. LCK possesses all the elements, from reputation to successful teams, especially with Faker – a player considered the G.O.A.T of the League of Legends scene. Notably, in the World Championship, LCK has completely dominated with a total of 8 championships, 4 of which belong to SKT T1/T1. However, MSI has been a “curse” for the teams from the Land of the Morning Calm.
According to statistics, in terms of BO3 and BO5 matches at MSI when facing LPL, LCK teams have lost 7 times while managing only 1 victory. The last time an LCK team could defeat an LPL team in a BO3 – BO5 series was nearly 8 years ago, with a 3-1 victory by SKT T1 against Royal Never Give Up in the semifinals of MSI 2016.
Notably, even when LPL representatives seemed weaker compared to LCK, they could still win against LCK in the MSI tournament. A prime example is RNG in 2021, who defeated the “king” Damwon KIA, followed by an undefeated T1 in Spring 2022, who also fell to RNG in one of the most controversial MSIs in history.
At MSI 2023, for the first time, both T1 and Gen.G participated, turning into a nightmare for LCK. With great expectations, T1 fell to JDG (2-3) and BLG (1-3), while Gen.G also lost to BLG. Notably, Gen.G was even knocked down by T1 to the losers’ bracket despite being the reigning LCK champions at that time. The urgency forced players to adapt extremely quickly and be ready to face “unusual” bans and picks completely opposite to LCK’s style – which favors discipline and strict adherence to the meta. This may be one of the key reasons for LCK’s poor performance at MSI.
As of now, only SKT T1/T1 is the team from LCK that has defeated LPL representatives in BO3 – BO5 series and is also the only LCK team to own an MSI championship. Compared to what LCK has achieved at the World Championship, there is clearly a significant discrepancy.
For the upcoming MSI 2024, with Gen.G’s track record of not doing well on the international stage, T1 is likely to remain the biggest hope. Of course, Gen.G has changed a lot, but no one can confidently say that the stars of the LCK champion will perform well at MSI, especially since some key players like Kiin and Lehends have never even experienced this tournament. Meanwhile, the most concerning counterpart, JDG, is at home. If T1 continues their good performance on the international stage, they are a much more reliable choice than Gen.G.