At this point, the results of the LCK Spring 2024 have gradually begun to take shape. The teams that have secured playoff spots may not be too concerned about their rankings anymore. From position 3 onwards, they will have to play one more match before reaching the second round. Therefore, the final matches have mostly only significance for the teams still clinging to playoff hopes. However, this does not diminish the excitement of the matches. Recently, T1 had a rather laborious victory over Nongshim RedForce that captured the audience’s attention.
The reason is that T1 indeed faced many difficulties in this match, especially in game 2. Although rated weaker, NS showed that they were still a tough opponent just like in the first round against T1. And if there were no brilliant moments in game 2, as well as T1 controlling the early game to some extent, no one could confidently predict the outcome. Especially when Smolder from NS had reached the power threshold and could be said to have the ability to “carry” the entire T1 lineup towards the end of the game.
The T1 players themselves have also recognized the existing issues within the team, right from the drafting phase and strategy execution. In his statement after the victory against NS, Zeus also had to admit a “bitter” truth about the Aatrox pick: “Personally, I always pick Aatrox first, but I think I need to start reconsidering this choice. Aatrox can play very well on his own, but once he falls behind, he will fall hard, especially if the opponents frequently intervene. In fact, there have been instances like this. I think Aatrox is no longer a good option in matches where the opponent plays tightly. Like in the match against HLE, I felt they really controlled a lot against T1 right from the laning phase.”
Zeus’s comments once again highlight that T1’s strategy of revolving around Aatrox, using this champion late in the game to flank and target the enemy’s low-health champions, is no longer useful. In fact, for many teams, having Aatrox flanking like that makes T1 seem like they are playing with one less player if the opponents can counterattack too quickly.
And this signifies that T1 will need to make more flexible changes in the time to come. The playoffs will be much more important than the group stages. And failures will almost have no chance for correction, especially for a team that always places high expectations on championship titles like T1.