As we know, in the match against Weibo Gaming, T1 brought many interesting picks, such as Yone and Gwen in the Top Lane for Zeus, or Faker using Ahri for the first time in CKTG 2023. All these choices reflect T1’s strategic approach and proved to be highly effective in the match. According to many assessments, T1 even had one of the easiest finals in their history whenever participating in CKTG.
However, according to the players of Kwangdong Freecs – the team that actively scrimmed with T1, T1’s easy victory was due to their draft strategy. Specifically, Andil (Support of KDF) shared some surprising information about T1’s draft picks during their practice together. Accordingly, Coach Tom requested KDF to ban Jarvan IV, Azir, and Sylas when scrimming together. Everyone understands that these are the three champions that are not only meta but also comfortable for T1. Among them, Azir and Sylas can be considered Faker’s “sure-win” champions.
But what’s even more alarming is that in the first game of the finals, WBG banned exactly in the order of Jarvan IV -> Azir -> Sylas. T1’s CEO and Gumayusi also admitted that the plays WBG executed had already been anticipated and practiced thoroughly by T1 beforehand. In other words: WBG did not lose in each game, but in fact, the LPL representative had already lost before both teams arrived at the venue in Busan and started the BO5 match for the CKTG championship cup.
The revelations from KDF further astonish fans about the T1 coaching staff’s level and the thorough meta research of the team. Because when being picked on Red side, and losing many comfortable or meta champions to bans, not many teams can bounce back. Perhaps, always having multiple contingencies prepared is why T1 has the highest win rate on the Red side in this CKTG.
Additionally, this revelation makes T1 fans even more confident that their team has a complete chance to achieve a “Golden Road” in 2024. After all, T1 has retained the entire roster that won the CKTG 2023 and added Coach KkOma. The best strategic minds are gathered at T1, and surely the whole team will want to continue their great milestones further.