Thus, among the 4 Major champions remaining at MSI 2024, T1 has defeated two opponents considered relatively “easier” compared to the other two teams. However, regarding the opponent G2, there was a moment before the clash on May 17 that many feared for Faker and his teammates. This was due to T1’s performance at MSI 2024 being quite unconvincing. A significant reason stems from their lack of adaptation to the roaming meta— a playstyle that seems to extinguish all the strengths that have built T1’s brand as well as their victory at the 2023 World Championship.
However, T1’s players are aware that they are not highly regarded since their exhausting match against G2 that opened the group stage. Zeus and Gumayusi admitted that the slow adaptation to the roaming meta has caused T1 many difficulties as they could not utilize their lane-winning playstyle. However, in many matches, T1 has made things harder for themselves with drafts that, even without implementing the roaming playstyle, would still be challenging to execute, such as the top lane Twisted Fate requiring the team to create a strong side pair, or the Senna – Tahm Kench combo being too passive against strong enemy bot pairs.
However, many opinions suggest that T1 may have recognized the core essentials right in the match against G2. Specifically, fans believe that T1 only needs reasonable drafts, to play normally, and to seize opportunities when possible to secure victory.
In fact, this is somewhat accurate. In the recent match against G2, T1 abandoned unusual drafts and utilized familiar combos like Kalista – Nautilus for Zeus to use K’Sante and took a more proactive approach in roaming. Additionally, they found effective ways to counter strong champions of the opponents, such as Draven and Tristana.
Of course, BLG will be an opponent at a different level compared to G2 or TL. But currently, T1 is gradually getting back on track, and consecutive victories help T1 maintain a high level of performance. The match against BLG will be extremely challenging, but with T1’s star-studded roster, anything is possible.