On the afternoon of March 18th (Vietnam time), T1 faced off against Liiv SANDBOX in the final week of the LCK Spring 2022 group stage. This match was a pivotal one before their historic battle against DRX. However, this encounter was also crucial because a loss to LSB would shatter Faker and his team’s chance at making history. While LSB is considered a weaker opponent, they were under no pressure since their fate in the Spring 2022 season had already been determined.
LSB proved they were not as “easy to handle” as the community had predicted before the match. In fact, after witnessing T1’s disjointed performance in Game 1, many were concerned that Faker and his team’s record-winning streak might come to a halt. However, no surprise occurred. Faker and his teammates demonstrated that their Game 1 loss was merely a case of overconfidence. In the next two games, T1 completely dominated LSB and extended their undefeated streak to 17.
Witnessing the stark differences in performance from the players in Game 1 compared to Games 2 and 3, the League of Legends community felt both excited and somewhat… chilled. Clearly, T1 outperformed LSB, but they approached Game 1 as if they were “blind to the audience.” The defeat in that match served as a wake-up call, leading to a serious draft and overwhelming play in the subsequent games. Some opinions stated that T1 played Games 2 and 3 “as if they lost due to LSB’s mistakes.”
However, many pointed out that LSB might have lacked motivation, leading them to draft quite… carelessly. LSB allowed T1 to easily secure three comfort champions in the top lane, while Nautilus is also a champion frequently used by Keria. Gumayusi also had access to strong Marksmen. This was a major mistake, and it seems that LSB’s lack of objectives allowed T1 to “unleash” freely.
Regardless, T1’s victory was completely convincing. Even in Game 1, if Croco, Clozer, and others hadn’t performed so well in crucial team fights, LSB might not have even secured a win. However, LSB players fought hard and truly created a surprise against the “undefeated legend” T1.
Faker and his teammates still have one match left on their journey to history, and DRX still has objectives to strive for. Therefore, the showdown between Faker and Deft will undoubtedly be thrilling, and T1 must not be complacent as they were in Game 1 against LSB because DRX will certainly know how to punish any mistakes, no matter how small, made by their opponents.
