T1 Holds a Historical Factor That Could Make Gen.G Worry
It can be said that the upcoming Semifinal against Gen.G at Worlds 2024 may be the most challenging match that T1 has to face. No longer is it a domestic arena where fans have become too familiar with T1’s defeats against Gen.G. And it’s not MSI – a tournament where T1 has only claimed the crown twice in history. This is Worlds, the grand final stage of this year. The opportunity for T1 to make history is just two matches away, and the Semifinal against Gen.G is also regarded as an early final of the season.
However, aside from past achievements, fans also recognize that: T1 has clashed with three MSI champions in three consecutive Worlds from 2022 to 2024. In those three instances, two champions have fallen to T1, namely Royal Never Give Up (2022) and JD Gaming (2023). Another noteworthy point is that both RNG and JDG defeated T1 on their journey to the MSI crown at that time.
Gen.G Holds a Unique Distinction in T1’s Record
The difference for Gen.G compared to the other two opponents RNG and JDG is that on their MSI championship journey, Chovy and his teammates did not face T1 at any point. The upcoming Semifinal at Worlds 2024 will be the first time Gen.G meets T1 in a BO5 match at a Worlds event. Last year, Gen.G exited early in the Quarterfinals despite being highly rated. Meanwhile, T1 excelled and retained the Worlds championship for LCK.
The current situation is not much different from Worlds 2023, where T1 was still rated very low before the Semifinal while Gen.G was the top contender for the championship. But in the upcoming Semifinal, T1 and Gen.G will clash instead of being in different brackets like last year. And perhaps, this encounter will truly be the early final, where the winning team can almost grasp the championship trophy.