As the last LCK team in the 2023 World Championship, T1 entered the match against LNG Esports under a lot of pressure. There were high expectations from both local fans and the players themselves as they had a chance to compete for the title once again this year. Furthermore, this is the first time in history that T1 is competing in a home World Championship. They certainly did not want to add sorrow to the fans cheering for them in Busan.
However, T1’s overwhelming victory was something that even the most optimistic T1 fans could not have imagined. LNG has always shown strength when facing JD Gaming. Moreover, LNG did not have an erratic playstyle; they were even regarded by fans as possessing the highest “LCK quality” among the four representatives of LPL this year. In fact, LNG was considered stronger than T1 before entering this matchup. However, it turned out to be a perfect 3-0 victory with all three games following the same script: Both teams played cautiously -> T1 accelerated when the buffs appeared -> LNG lost.
The T1 players had an exceptionally “stellar” performance, excelling in all five positions. Oner’s jungle paths were precise, and Faker transformed with Oriana and Azir. Meanwhile, the bot lane dominated with any champion choice, and Zeus simply played to his full potential. Some fans even remarked: “Zeus casts his Shockwaves as if they were skill shots.”
But while T1 shone, LNG naturally made mistakes, and the two most disappointing players, pointed out directly, were Scout and Hang. No one understood what was wrong with Hang’s Blitzcrank, as he only managed to hook… T1’s Aatrox throughout the match, allowing Zeus to have favorable positions to attack the entire LNG team. Meanwhile, Scout’s Jayce missed almost all of his Shockwaves. Commentator Wolf stated clearly: “Faker just showed Scout what ‘temporary form but eternal class’ looks like.” Meanwhile, no one could deny that Zeus’s Jayce was far better and more useful than Scout’s.
Overall, T1 deserved this victory immensely. This win also serves as a warning to the other three remaining LPL teams. T1’s journey continues, and they will certainly strive to deliver even better performances in the future.