T1 Made Some Mistakes
In the match against Hanwha Life Esports on the afternoon of August 29 (Vietnam time) as part of the LCK Summer Playoffs 2024, the word “stagnation” might not be enough to describe T1’s playstyle. Not only were they struggling with their choices, but it also seemed that both the players and their coaching staff had given up right from the drafting phase. Aside from some unexpected picks like Gumayusi’s Seraphine or Faker’s Nasus according to the meta, the team composition was completely disjointed. The biggest bright spot, as always, was Gumayusi’s effort, especially with the champion Seraphine, as he managed to stir things up for HLE in the second game.
Losing to HLE is no longer surprising, but the way they lost is the real issue, and in fact, they deserved to lose as they “betrayed” the playstyle that built their brand. Perhaps everyone knows that the unbeaten phase and later success at the 2024 World Championship for this team was associated with unexpected picks, which were outside their opponents’ calculations but suited their own style.
However, in all three games, this team struggled even with champions that were in the meta. Faker’s Nasus repeated the exact formula of defeat from Dplus KIA, as this champion is too sluggish and easy to gank. Meanwhile, T1’s trio of Sejuani – Smolder – Ziggs in game three was precisely a repetition of HLE’s choice in game two. Moreover, Seraphine was also used by DK in their previous match against Gen.G.
A Heavy Price for T1
When there is no unpredictability and no superiority over the opponent, defeat is understandable. In fact, the media in China even suggested that this team should reconsider their coaching staff after such “self-destructive” drafts. A once powerful team has never had to chase after another team’s playstyle. T1 was undefeated when they made the Support Marksman playstyle the meta of LCK and even the global League of Legends scene. In the match against HLE, the unpredictability vanished, they were “read” by HLE, and the end result was a crushing defeat.
T1 still has at least one more chance to maintain their ambitions in the LCK Summer 2024 and secure the next spot after Gen.G for the 2024 World Championship. However, if they continue to perform as they did against HLE recently, not only will they end up empty-handed in Summer 2024, but their chances of reaching London will also be seriously threatened.