Once again, the audience of LoL worldwide and LCK fans will witness a showdown between T1 and Gen.G in the LCK Finals. This marks the fifth consecutive finals since 2022 that these two teams have faced off, and it is also the fifth time Faker confronts Chovy for the domestic title. Currently, Gen.G seems to have the upper hand. However, in a finals match, anything can happen. Not to mention, T1 is not without a solid basis to dethrone the defending champion LCK.
Ending the “Twisted Fate for Zeus” Strategy
In the current meta, top lane champions typically take on the role of fighters and usually fall into two categories: damage dealers or tanky initiators. However, in games where T1 has struggled or lost, Zeus has almost never been utilized with any fighter champions. In fact, the champion T1 often selects for him is not even a high damage, mobility-focused marksman like Vayne, but rather Twisted Fate.
The champion known as the Card Master is fundamentally supposed to help the team push lanes and gain gold. However, this champion must win the lane to be effective. As seen in game 1 of the recent T1 – HLE match, TF didn’t even win his lane. And just one misplay with Destiny Card led to T1 losing their advantage of about 10k gold, making it meaningless. TF is too immobile, deals too little damage, and is too fragile. In compositions that favor team fights, TF is no different than a minion or an asset for the opponents to gain more resources. The fact has proven that when Zeus is given champions like Zac or Vayne, the game shifts dramatically.
Winning Without Skills
In this Spring season, T1 has implemented many strategies. Firstly, they decimated all opponents with the “unusual” – AD Carry Support strategy of 2022. However, after being defeated by Gen.G once again in the second round, T1 reverted to playing according to the meta. This seems to have only worked against weaker teams, as they subsequently lost to HLE in the second round of the LCK Spring 2024 group stage.
But since their victory over Dplus KIA, T1 has somewhat returned to making bold choices. Of course, they still rely on comfort picks like Azir (Faker) or Varus (Gumayusi), but T1 has been more willing to experiment and choose compositions that are easier to execute, maximizing the potential of each member.
In the finals, T1 will likely still be “skillful”. However, instead of trying to play according to the opponents, Faker and his teammates should consider compositions that suit the entire team and are easier to execute. Especially, there needs to be a balance between damage and tankiness to avoid repeating the “disastrous mistake” from the first game against HLE.
Focusing on Gumayusi
In the match against DK and recently against HLE, as well as in many games where Gumayusi had the opportunity to truly “carry the team” like a superstar AD Carry, he did not disappoint his fans. Of course, there were moments when Gumayusi was overly confident, but immediately after, he corrected his mistakes when given the chance. And perhaps, Gumayusi himself understands: the finals and the upcoming opponent is Gen.G. At that point, every mistake will not have a second chance and will come with a hefty price.
On the opposite side, in terms of skill, Gumayusi and Peyz are “one 9 one 10”. But in terms of mentality and ability to operate independently, T1’s AD Carry has a slight edge over Peyz. Perhaps, T1 should consider a strategy to give Zeus a sturdy fighter pick to play independently and funnel resources to the “Prince”. And possibly, Gumayusi himself will be the key to determining the outcome of the upcoming finals between the two long-standing rivals in LCK.