T1 go 12-0 in the LCK Spring Split, making themselves the favourites to head to the Mid-Season Invitational.
After a semifinal loss at Worlds last year, T1 have shown they are not to be messed with this year by going undefeated in the LCK Spring Split, winning all 12 of their series so far with only six left. To further sweeten their dominance, they've won 2-0 in seven different matches, dropping only a single map in their five other games. With the LCK Spring Split concluding its sixth week of games, T1 hold a slight edge over second-place Gen.G Esports with both teams looking highly likely to qualify for the Spring Split playoffs.
It will be a tight fight for the remaining four slots with DRX, DWG.KIA, Freecs, and KT Rolster as they hold a slim lead over the rest of the LCK. As we head into the business end of the Spring Split, it will be interesting to see who else makes it through with former world champions DWG.KIA still struggling to find their footing in the regular season.
Unchanged & Undefeated
For the past few weeks, T1 has been the only team that people could not take their eyes away from. They have shown no weakness as of yet, showing great drafting, communication, and execution of their game plans time and time again. Being one of the few teams to stick with the same squad from last season, it's starting to bear fruit now. Given the team's performance at Worlds last year, it isn't very surprising to see T1 as one of the top teams in the LCK once again. Of course, it also helps that Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok leads by example, showing no signs of slowing down.
The three-time Worlds winner has shown great versatility over the past six weeks, playing a total of nine different champions so far. He's only bested by Choi "Zeus" Woo-je and Ryu "Keria" Min-seok, who have played 10 and 11 champions. He's also undefeated in three different champions who have played three games or more - Corki, LeBlanc, and Azir. However, the only downside to his otherwise stellar performance in the spring split was his Ryze, which is currently 0-3.
But at the end of it all, Faker is still leading his team in terms of MVP titles during the spring split with eight. Only Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu of DWG has won more with 10. To put it in perspective, the next best midlaner in the LCK right now is Chovy, who has also won six. This shows that Faker is still ahead of the many talented midlaners in the region right now.
However, he wouldn't be where he is now without his team. The likes of Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong has been the outstanding performers for T1 as of late with the former claiming six MVP titles. While those aren't everything, his stats do speak volumes. He is currently this season's top farmer with 10.1 CSM as well as having the most double and triple kills of the season so far. He's also played Aphelios 10 times, losing only one match while his Jinx has won five of seven games.
Slaying the Competition
T1's rise to the top of the LCK Spring Split leaderboard is no fluke though. The team has been able to achieve victories in tricky fixtures against other top tier teams like DWG.KIA this season, whom they have struggled against in the past. They have played the Worlds 2020 winners twice already and have come out on top on both occasions. Their first series was a close 2-1 finish to T1 with DWG taking the first game after 55 minutes. The second series, however, did not end well for DWG as T1 took both games with conviction.
With their series coming up against Gen.G in a few days, T1 will be heading into the match-up with plenty of confidence. They came out as 2-1 winners against them back in the fourth week. This will prove crucial to both teams because if Gen.G wins, they will cut the deficit against T1 to nothing, leaving both teams tied for the top spot. Drama is always close by when it comes to the LCK and it will be interesting to see what happens come March 3.
As we count down to the last three weeks of the LCK group stage, T1 still have to face the likes of KT Rolster, Kwangdong Freecs, Fredit BRION, SANDBOX Gaming, and DRX. Of these five teams, four of them have not managed to take a single match off of T1 so it will be a tall order for them to take the series this time.
MSI-bound?
With the playoffs beckoning, T1 is expected to make it straight to the semifinals, whether they finish first or second. From there, they will just be two best-of-fives away from representing South Korea at MSI. With their home region reportedly being the host country for MSI this year, it will be a treat for all South Koreans to witness their best and brightest on the big stage and hopefully, win it for the first time.
