The loss to Afreeca Freecs in the final match of the first round of the LCK Spring 2020 not only caused T1 to lose their top position but also once again revealed many underlying issues within the team. Wadid – the former support player who once played for G2 Esports and is now an analyst for Riot Games – recently posted a series of tweets highlighting the weaknesses in T1’s gameplay:
“T1’s second game reminded me of LCK’s performances at Worlds. They always approach the game passively unless they’re 90% sure of winning. They (T1) had at least 3 opportunities to finish off Qiyana/Elise, but they didn’t take them.
T1 is still one of the strongest teams, but if they want to win Worlds, they need to change their playstyle.
It’s also worth mentioning that Afreeca Freecs played exceptionally well. A scientific playstyle typical of LEC or LPL. I really hope to see more gameplay styles like this.”
Next, Wadid commented on T1’s current roster. He believes that the team is still heavily reliant on the carry potential of Faker and Teddy, and that the top lane remains a weakness for the reigning LCK champions.
“If I were the coach of T1, I could only do what Coach Kim is doing, relying on the brilliance of Faker and Teddy.
In reality, it’s very difficult to create a top-tier top laner in just a few weeks, which is why he (Coach Kim) has to use a makeshift lineup in the first round. But they are facing a great opportunity to change this with the training time for long-term plans, and perhaps Kim will start new experiments.”
Wadid’s comments, which could be seen as somewhat blunt, have faced some criticism, largely because his own career background is not very impressive and certainly pales in comparison to SKT.
However, as a professional analyst, the issues that Wadid pointed out are clearly worth considering. This season alone, T1 has suffered 2 losses to HLE and AF, both following the same scenario: their opponents chose a fast-paced approach with constant skirmishes, easily breaking T1’s control strategy.
The issue of manpower is likely the reason Coach Kim hasn’t been able to make tactical changes. Recently, some sources in South Korea confirmed that Roach was actually a signing brought in by T1’s management, not a choice of the coach. That’s why the “superstar top lane specialist” places his trust in rookie Canna instead of letting Roach play.
After a tumultuous season, the LCK has become significantly weaker, which is why T1 can still defeat 7 out of 9 opponents they face. But the international stage presents a very different challenge; both G2 Esports and LPL teams have enough capability to “swallow” T1 if they continue to play slowly and lack unpredictability as they do now. This is why Wadid asserts that: To win the world championship, T1 needs to change, or accept defeat.