T1 still have a challenging path ahead before securing a spot at Worlds 2024.
Only a few teams remain in the League of Legends Korea Championship (LCK) Summer Playoffs, and on Sunday, September 1, both T1 and DPlus KIA (DK) fought for their tournament lives in the Lower Bracket Semifinals.
In the end, T1 emerged victorious, clinching a 3-1 win against DPlus KIA.
T1 had a relatively rough Summer season, struggling against multiple teams during the Group Stage. The struggles seemed to take a toll on their roster, with one incident showing Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok hitting his head against the wall in frustration.
Despite this, the team persevered, managing to finish the regular season in 4th place with an 11-7 record, which secured their spot in the Playoffs.
In the Playoffs, T1 started strong, defeating KT Rolster 3-1 in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals. However, they couldn't maintain their momentum in the Upper Bracket Semifinals, suffering a 3-0 sweep against Hanwha Life Esports (HLE), which sent T1 to the Lower Bracket Semifinals.
DPlus KIA had a solid Summer season, finishing third with a 13-5 record, which also earned them a Playoff spot. In the Playoffs, they defeated FearX 3-1 in the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals, but were then swept 3-0 by tournament favourites Gen.G, dropping them to the lower bracket.
Here's a breakdown of how the matches unfolded:
DK dominated the first game, with Taliyah mid and the highly contested Ziggs pick in the bot lane posing significant challenges for T1 during team fights and skirmishes. DK capitalised on their advantage, widening the gold and power gap, and exerting pressure across all lanes.
In a crucial fight at the Baron pit, T1 attempted to contest for the Baron, but DK's Aiming sneaked into T1’s base to destroy the Nexus after a 33-minute encounter and a 9-3 kill lead, securing the first game.
In the second game, T1 adopted a more aggressive approach, executing sneaky kills during the laning phase. However, DK fought back, trading kills and objectives throughout the mid-game.
Both teams fiercely contested every single objective on the map. Although DK were the first to breach T1's base through the top lane, they overextended, allowing T1 to eliminate most of their members and march into their base. After a 29-minute bloodbath and an 18-13 kill lead, T1 destroyed DK’s Nexus to win the second game.
T1 maintained their aggression in the third game, giving DK little room for error, even during the laning phase. DK resisted, securing a few kills to prevent T1 from snowballing.
However, as the game progressed into the late stages, Faker on Corki, combined with Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong on Ziggs, made it increasingly difficult for DK to find any opportunities to win. After a 27-minute encounter and a 21-7 kill lead, T1 destroyed DK’s base, winning the third game and moving to match point.
T1 capitalised on their momentum in the fourth game, suffocating DK's early-game efforts. Despite their best attempts to execute scrappy plays and outplay their opponents, DK were unable to gain the upper hand, as T1 consistently came out on top. After a 29-minute siege and an 18-9 kill lead, T1 took down DK’s base, securing the fourth game and the series.
DPlus KIA bowed out of the competition in 4th place, taking home ₩25,000,000 (approximately $18,071.35). Having earned a total of 80 Championship Points throughout the season, DK still have a chance to qualify for Worlds through the Regional Finals.
T1 still need to secure their Worlds 2024 slot
With their victory, T1 advance to the Lower Bracket Finals, where they will face Hanwha Life Esports on Saturday, September 7. However, T1 still have a way to go before they can secure a spot at Worlds.
T1 are already assured of a third-place finish this Summer, which grants them an additional 80 Championship Points. Combined with their 70 Championship Points from taking second place in Spring, T1 have a total of 150 points.
If they manage to pull off a victory against HLE in the Lower Bracket Finals, they will be guaranteed at least second seed for gaining the most Championship Points, aside from Gen.G, who qualified by winning the Mid-Season Invitational earlier this year.
However, T1 have a 1-3 record against HLE and a 0-4 record against Gen.G across Spring and Summer. Should T1 finish in third place this Summer, they would be relegated to the Regional Finals, where they would face a rematch with DK to qualify for Worlds as LCK’s third seed.
