T1 and JD Gaming go the distance in the upper bracket final of MSI 2023.
The number one seed in the LPL, JD Gaming are now just one best-of-five series from lifting the MSI title after sending T1 to the lower bracket of the Mid-Season Invitational. The match-up between JDG and T1 was the first series at MSI that went to all five games with JDG coming out on top in games four and five.
This was the first of two match-ups between the LPL and the LCK with Bilibili Gaming and Gen.G Esports playing tomorrow from the lower bracket semifinal. The winner will then move on to face T1, who still have one more chance at making it to the grand finals.
JDG started game one on the offensive, aggressively pushing T1 and forcing them into making mistakes. JDG's teamfight-oriented lineup was too much for T1 to bear as the LCK second seed could only muster three kills in just under 30 minutes. JDG, on the other hand, got 17 kills with nine of those going to Park "Ruler" Jae-Hyuk.
Game two was more evenly matched between both teams, trading blow for blow with all 10 players constantly in the thick of the action. But it all culminated in the 23rd minute when Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok aggressively flashed forward, only to be shut down by Zhuo "Knight" Ding. However, Faker's death was not in vain as Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong was able to land a quadra kill on JDG, with some help from both Ryu "Keria" Min-seok and Choi "Zeus" Woo-je. That teamfight alone was enough for T1 to even the series.
Gumayusi would go off once more in game three, even with JDG putting up another impressive fight. Both teams would constantly trade kills in various skirmishes in long, drawn-out teamfights that had the fans going wild. One such moment came in the 22nd minute with T1 teamwiping JDG while Gumayusi got himself a triple kill in the process. This led to another deathball push that saw T1 take advantage in the match-up.
The fourth match once again saw both teams battle it out for objectives and control over the map. But this time, it was JDG who had the upper hand in the draft. They were able to outplay T1 in various teamfights throughout the match with the likes of Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok putting in a flawless performance of six kills and nine assists. Lou "Missing" Yun-Feng also deserves a mention for putting up 15 assists for the team's 16 kills.
With the score tied at 2-2, it was seen as anyone's game at this point. And in game five, it was Ruler's time to shine. The AD carry for JDG was omnipresent in the fifth match, putting up 12 kills and three assists, which meant that he was involved with almost every single one of his team's 16 kills. JDG's teamfight capabilities in game five were one of the reasons for its hard-fought victory. This also puts Faker's Nautilus at 0-3 with all three losses coming at the hands of JDG.
JDG will now have two days' rest before the grand finals while T1 will await the result between the other LCK vs LPL match-up between Bilibili Gaming and Gen.G Esports.
