HLE not only faced a “disastrous defeat” but also had to “gift more items” to T1
Entering the most crucial match of the Road to MSI phase for both teams, T1 and HLE were both determined with the goal of securing a ticket to Vancouver this July. However, to the surprise of the entire League of Legends community worldwide, T1 not only claimed victory but did so with a resounding 3-0. But if one only looks at the score, it doesn’t fully capture the devastation; all three games were essentially T1’s playground. No one could see that HLE had once won the LCK Cup or that just days ago they had made Gen.G sweat. What remained was a frail HLE, enduring a flawless performance from all five members of T1.
Notably, this defeat not only forces HLE to “offer” the MSI 2025 ticket to T1, but they also have to “gift” an additional item. Specifically, with HLE having won the First Stand 2025, both seeds from the LCK will proceed directly to the Knockout Stage, without needing to go through the Play-In stage like representatives from the other four regions. Thus, Gen.G and T1 are securely in the next round, waiting for their opponents, giving both LCK representatives more time to rest and strategize.
But of course, prior to this, T1 also brought “benefits” to the LCK, and now HLE is the team that “benefits”. Accordingly, T1’s championship in EWC 2025 for League of Legends last year granted the LCK three spots in this “million-dollar” tournament. Therefore, even though HLE cannot attend MSI 2025, they will be present in Saudi Arabia after MSI 2025 concludes.
T1 Achieved a Complete Victory
It can be said that the victory over HLE is significant not only in terms of the score but also for helping T1 advance to MSI. Moreover, it was a match where all T1 stars performed at their best, surpassing their opponents. Additionally, this match truly showcased T1 as a strong team, utterly dominating without making mistakes – something Faker and his teammates had not accomplished since the beginning of the year.
And of course, T1’s journey to this point is not enough, and their fans are eagerly hoping that T1 will maintain their performance against HLE across all remaining competitions this year, as the MSI championship, LCK championship, and even a potential third consecutive Worlds championship are still on the horizon.