Its been a season of highs and lows forT1, the defendingLeague of Legends(LoL) World Champions.
Heavy lies the crown for T1, the most decorated team in LoL esports history.
T1s challenging Summer Split
T1s troubles began early in the Summer Split.
They kicked off the split with a 2-0 victory overNongshim RedForce, showcasing their signature dominance.
But their momentum stalled in a devastating 0-2 loss to one of the LCK’s strongest teams,Gen.G.
T1’s AD carryLee Gumayusi Min-hyeongvoiced his frustrations, saying they needed to adjust to the meta faster.
Despite a strong showing in Week 2, sweepingDPlus KIA2-0 and narrowly beatingKwangdong Freecs2-1, T1 continued to falter.
Once again, they faced Hanwha Life Esports and were eliminated after a 3-1 loss.
Despite DPlus KIA never having beaten T1 since 2022, nerves seemed to get the better of T1.
Questionable drafts and mistakes marred the series, leading to a nail-biting 3-2 loss.
This set up T1s final chance to qualify for Worlds on 14 September.
KT Rolster mirrored this, favouring champions like Miss Fortune, Corki, and Rumble.
In Game 1, T1 controlled the early game, snowballing their lead by dominating map objectives.
KT struggled to recover, overwhelmed by T1s long-range, damage-heavy comp with Ziggs, Azir, and Vayne.
After 26 minutes, T1 secured the first win.
The third game was a different story, with T1 once again gaining an early lead.
In Game 4, with their backs against the wall, KT came out swinging.
Silver Scrapes and victory: T1s clutch performance
Game 5 was the definition of tense.
KT secured 8 kills early, but T1 stayed in the game by focusing on map objectives.
T1’s hard-fought 3-2 series win secured their spot as the LCKs fourth seed for Worlds 2024.
