T1 aim for first international title after the rebrand

The only organization to both defend a world title successfully and to win consecutively returns to the biggest stage of all– hoping to secure their first international title following the organization’s rebrand. While the organization is no stranger to the limelight, only Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok remains from the old SK Telecom T1 squads that won the World Championships in 2013, 2015, and 2016. 

This team has had a rather up and down season. The team retained most of its roster from 2020, when the team won spring but was unable to make it to Worlds, but changed Lee “Effort” Sang-ho for last year’s breakout LCK support, Ryu “Keria” Min-seok. Coming into the year, coach Kim “Kim” Jeong-soo also left the team, and Lee “Zefa” Jae-min and Yang “Daeny” Dae-in, the coaches of 2020’s world champions, joined the team. 

Over the course of the season, the team attempted to cultivate a ten-man roster, with Choi “Zeus” Woo-je getting promoted into the main roster as a top laner alongside Kim “Canna” Chang-dong, Moon “Oner” Hyeon-joon and Choi “Elliim” El-lim joining Moon “Cuzz” Woo-chan in the jungle, Lee “Clozer” Ju-hyeon standing behind Faker in the mid lane, and Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong joining Park “Teddy” Jin-seong as bottom laners for the team. In the spring, the team did not seem to be sure of its starting five, as they rotated the players for seemingly no actual reason. Towards the end, they settled on Canna, Cuzz, Faker, Teddy, and Keria, but it may have been too late as they finished fourth in the regular season, and also fourth in playoffs. 

In the summer, they appeared to stick with this same starting roster. The results were still mixed, and the team seemed to be stuck in a rut. They were way too passive in each game, even when they were ahead. This was the case until Cuzz was switched out for Oner, where the team seemed to be reinvigorated. The players became more aggressive, and have been able to find more consistency during their early games. 

T1’s usual problem, however, is their mid and late games. While Faker and Oner usually rotate towards either of the side lanes to create an advantage, some of the mid and late game decision making may be a bit questionable. It is understandable that they want to push their leads further, but they could simply play some situations slower and go for the more secure plays. Despite these issues, they were able to win in their semifinal against Gen G, but were taken down by Damwon Kia in the final with a 1-3 scoreline. These kinds of mistakes could be fixed over time, of course, and with the month off before Worlds, this team could surely improve so much.

Another question with this team is: what will be their starting roster for Worlds, and who will they bring as their subs? As the team has utilized 10 players throughout the entirety of last season, this may be a tough decision for them. However, as they have used Cuzz in the first half of Summer, and Oner afterwards until the end of the Regional Qualifier, it would be recommended to bring both junglers. Seeing as the team still doesn’t appear to have figured out their better bottom laner between Teddy and Gumayusi, they might just bring both bottom laners too. 

This team is not a clear favorite by any means, but they are certain to be competitive with most of the top teams in this tournament.

 

(Header image via INVEN Esports)