The most notable match of the first week of the LCK Summer 2023 was the clash between T1 and Gen.G – two long-time rivals. Both teams are top contenders for the championship title in the LCK Summer 2023. Moreover, this was also the first meeting between Faker and Chovy since both players were officially named in the roster for the Hangzhou ASIAD at the end of the year.
Both teams truly delivered an exciting and tense match right up to the final minute. However, in a better performance and with a more strategic approach, executing their gameplay more effectively, Gen.G emerged victorious. Since Spring 2022, this marks only the second time Gen.G has managed to defeat T1 in a group stage match. The first time was in Summer 2022, during the return match of the two teams in the group stage.
There’s no denying that the players from both teams, especially Gen.G, had an outstanding day, but many viewers also directed their opinions towards Riot. Numerous opinions suggested that it was precisely due to the “200 years of game development” by this publisher that T1 had to suffer a defeat. First, there was the Jungle Familiar mechanism. In a moment where Oner intended to attack Chovy alongside Faker at the start of game three, Oner’s Familiar revealed his position, rendering this attack impossible.
Next, the champion Zeri proved to be overly strong, especially in the hands of players who are very familiar with using this champion. During the laning phase, Peyz did not seem to stand out compared to Gumayusi, if not to say he was almost at a disadvantage. But just after a few kills, Peyz demonstrated how powerful Zeri could be. Not to mention, Gen.G maximized resources for the young ADC, allowing Zeri in his hands to take down all targets from T1.
T1 played very well, but Gen.G was simply better and they also had champions with “200 years of experience”. There are many more factors to consider, but it cannot be denied that the pentakill (taking down the entire enemy team single-handedly within a certain timeframe) that led Gen.G to victory, thanks to Peyz, involved not only his teammates but also a part of Riot’s influence.