T1 Fails to Qualify for Worlds due to Loss Against HLE

T1 has recently suffered a 3:1 loss in their LCK clash against Hanwha Life, which has made them lose out on the opportunity of direct qualification to Worlds 2024 Championship. Their last chance of qualifying is a stellar placement in the regional LCK finals. In this article, we will do a quick overview of the games, and discuss the potential reasons for the results we witnessed.

Games Recap

First Game

The first game started with quite a peculiar draft. On the T1 side, we saw a Ziggs, Leona combo, carried out by Gumayusi and Keria, while Faker flexed his old Caitlyn mid-pick. On the top lane, Zeus was going with Gnar, and Oner picked Sejuani for jungle. 

The enemy composition had Viper piloting Jhin, Delight on Bard, Doran on Jax, Peanut on Poppy, and Zeka on Smolder. From the beginning, the Smolder pick was the biggest threat for T1 in the game. The game ended in total domination showcasing a 16:4 kill ratio in only 30 minutes.

Second Game

PEN– QUADRAKILL for FAKER! #LCK pic.twitter.com/g430N37Qxj

— LCK (@LCK) September 7, 2024

The second game featured a really rough start for T1 but it was hard to tell as to who win. The tension was kept until the 26th minute, where T1 made a really great play on the Baron, which secured them a significant damage. The encounter has almost resulted in many deaths for T1, as they were all super low on HP, however, HLE managed to score nothing but a kill on Camille, which was not enough to make the trade worth.

The game ended in a spectacular fight, where Faker on Tristana was able to erase the entirety of the enemy team with the help of Alistar and Ziggs. The high death timers coupled with the pushing of Tristana and Ziggs have made finishing the game easy, marking one of the best comebacks in recent esport games.

Third Game

From the draft perspective, the third game was marked by T1 not banning Smolder. The decision was criticized by many fans as the pick has proven to be incredibly strong in the pro play. In the 15th minute the score was 6:2, where HLE Smolder had an impressive amount of 4 kills. By this time, it was clear the the things could only get worse for T1. HLE was slowly pressuring T1 out of the map, collecting drakes, and finishing the game with a clean textbook win.

The Fourth Game

WELCOME TO #WORLDS2024:

Congratulations to @HLEofficial on reaching the #LCK Final and qualifying for the 2024 League of Legends World Championship! pic.twitter.com/Dac5cd5urr

— LoL Esports (@lolesports) September 7, 2024

The last game followed pretty much the same pattern. Fans were bewildered upon seeing the 4th Ziggs pick, and another skip on the Smolder ban. HLE was again able to just collect most of the objectives, and surgically extinguish T1. The record was set 3:1 which marked HLE’s direct entry to Worlds Champions, and denied T1 of the opportunity.

Final Thoughts

The T1 performance has left many fans confused. The most common criticism is related to the draft, with many fans wondering what was the plan. Why did we witness triple AD ranged composition, why was the Smolder not banned, and why was Gumayusi forcing the Ziggs pick.

All these questions remain, however, one thing is for sure. The T1 performance was not good enough for a direct qualification for the League of Legends Worlds Championship. Thankfully, they will still have a chance to prove their chance in the regional LCK finals, which might enable us to see the legendary team compete on the biggest stage.