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esports
T1 are back and ready to rumble for the LCK Summer Split trophy
After a disappointing end to the LCK Spring Split, T1 are looking to bounce back this summer. Here’s how they could claim the trophy.
T1’s loss against Gen.G in the semi-finals of the Spring Split was a disappointing end to an upwards trend. Coach Yang ‘Daeny’ Dae-in decided to play with a ten-man roster for the regular split and started finding success fairly late into the season. This meant their core team didn’t have the same amount of practice as their rival rosters that had a good placement going into the play-offs. However, things will be different in the summer.
With a shifting meta and a strong core team, including some of the best Korean players currently competing in the LCK, T1’s chances of overthrowing the current champions are better than ever. Here’s why.
The Faker factor
Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok, otherwise known as the bonjwa of League of Legends, The Unkillable Demon King or the GOAT. Faker has many different aliases, which isn’t surprising considering his past achievements. The T1 mid laner has won every tournament there is to win and yet he's still hungry for more. Over the years the mid lane role has changed massively, from a more hard-carry role to the supportive roaming we see now. It’s no secret that Faker had a hard time adapting to the meta where the mid lane was no longer the most important lane. With a rise in power of both the bot lane and the jungle – mid lane was left behind.
However, in the new meta, the mid lane is back. There’s a higher variety of different carry champions, even assassins that have made their way back into the highest level of League of Legends. With Viego and Gwen finally seeing play in the LCS, we’re expecting that Faker – a player that can effortlessly play every champion at the highest level – will have a field day if he manages to get the Ruined King in his hands.
With mid lane becoming a more important role, we’ll have more chances to see Faker take games into his own hands and carry them.
The 10-man roster
The break between spring and summer gave teams the chance to figure things out. In T1’s case, this meant understanding what their roster was going to be for the Summer Split. With a rapidly changing meta, it gave them the breathing space to see which five players would work best together. The downside to 10-man rosters is that players might get nervous about losing their spot if they play badly, while it's also difficult to build synergy if you swap out players after every series. However, it also makes players hungry to perform. It’s an extra drive for those who have the tendency to slack off.
With 10 players and by experimenting during the Spring Split, the T1 coaches will now have a lot of data available for what worked and what didn’t. Maybe they’ll swap out players depending on their game plan and against different teams. T1 will have enough options available to build their optimal composition every single time because they have enough players in every role, except Support, giving them flexibility.
Faker, Teddy and Cuzz are hungry for revenge
© Daebong Kim / Red Bull Content Pool
Teddy and Gumayusi
Park ‘Teddy’ Jin-seong and Lee ‘Gumayusi’ Min-hyeong are the players currently occupying the ADC or botlaner role for T1. While both players have seen play in the Spring Split, it’s very interesting to see that T1 chose to pick Teddy over Gumayusi in the play-offs. Both players have similarities in their playstyle in that they prefer late-game hyper carries. However, there are some key differences that set both players apart.
Teddy is a monster of champions like Ezreal, who is by far his best champion. He joined the LCK in 2018 and is considered a veteran of the league. He was seen as JAG’s best player before joining T1 in the 2018 Kespa cup. Gumayusi had his first game in the LCK 2020 Regional Finals where he replaced Teddy against the Afreeca Freecs to battle for a spot in Worlds 2020. In the end, they lost against Gen.G. Gumayushi is best known for his monster mechanics and positioning. Both players have a different approach to the game and it will be interesting to see who will start in the first week of the LCK.
Core roster strength
How strong are T1 compared to the other top teams? Depending on the meta, T1 are capable of making it into the finals of Summer. They will start the first week by playing against Hanwha Life Esports – a team that they beat twice in the Spring Split. Things will get more difficult on Friday, where they will face DWG Kia, the current world champions.
While a win would be great to lift T1’s spirits, realistically it would be difficult to beat a team that has lost MSI and is back for blood in their own region. After that, T1 will have a few weeks where they play weaker teams and have the chance to make adjustments to their core roster if needed, before their chance of revenge against Gen.G in week five.
This match will be key. With a good record of beating the weaker teams in the weeks before, T1 will have a good chance of making it to Worlds 2021 and solidifying themselves as a team capable of reaching the LCK 2021 finals.
However, before that happens there are still a lot of games to be played, so beating Hanwha Life Esports would be a great start.
