T1 at Worlds is just built differently. For a team with 4 League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) titles under their name, T1 has had some very questionable runs during the recent years’ regular seasons. Yet, most evidently shown by their odds-defying Worlds 2023 win, T1 gets a complete transformation going into the grandest stage in LoL esports.
With a last-minute entry in this year’s World Championship, T1 proves that at Worlds, you just can never count them out. The defending champions are determined to show their improvement on the international stage as they attempt a second back-to-back victory in 2024.
T1 And Their “Worlds Buff”
The South Korean LoL pro-gaming team T1 seem to possess a unique ability that makes them ten times a more formidable force in international tournaments. Especially when coming off a rocky regular season, the LCK stars always manage to make it to LoL’s biggest competition and, while not always lifting the Summoner’s Cup, dominate in several matches. A growing inside joke among fans, this “Worlds buff” pertains to T1’s massive and often jaw-dropping performance boost once they step into the Worlds stage.
T1 has thus built a reputation for performing well when it matters and surprising fans with how quickly they can adapt. The team seems to struggle with drafting picks and their early game but are on a different level in making quick decisions and coordinating teamfights. On top of it, they have also shown amazing growth, with each player already among the best in their respective lanes and the team doing better on meta reads.
The team staying together with the same roster since 2022 may also have been a factor, as their teamwork and communication under mid-lane legend Faker’s leadership have gotten stronger. It could also be the meta changes during Worlds that favor T1’s signature champions and gives them an advantage they can capitalize on. However, chalking it up to just the meta would be discrediting T1’s core skills and flexibility.
When It Matters: The T1 Clutch
Ever since the team rebranded into simply T1 from SK Telecom 1 (SKT T1) in 2019, they faced a lot of form issues and changed rosters frequently in hopes of finding their footing. In 2022, the team formed its current roster of ZOFGK—Zeus, Oner, Faker, Gumayusi, and Keria—and achieved a season of 1st and 2nd place finishes in both local and international leagues. Sadly, the team lost to DRX in the Worlds 2022 final, and in the next season found themselves in an unceremonious regular run.
Here’s where the Worlds buff myth truly began to spread. After placing 3rd in the MSI and falling behind other LCK teams in the LCK Summer Splits to finish 5th, T1 came in clutch at the Worlds 2023. They only lost once in the Swiss Bo1s against Gen.G Esports and 1 match in the Bo5 series against JDG Gaming in the Semifinals. This is where T1 blocked JDG’s “Golden Road” and went from being the LCK underdogs to the ones that would eventually crush Weibo Gaming in the Final with a 3:0 score.
Fans were overjoyed at T1’s unexpected journey, especially with them not looking anywhere near their top form before coming into the tournament. This started the superstition that the lower T1’s regular season performance drops, the higher they could peak when they get into the World Championship. Alongside the T1 Worlds buff, fans also coined the term, “T1 Clutch”. This means their ability to turn the tables during the late game in matches or during the final tournament of the season.
T1’s Path to Worlds 2024
This year, at Worlds 2024, T1 makes a dramatic last-minute entry as LCK’s 4th seed. The team was only one game away from not making it to Worlds, fighting in a do-or-die match against KT Rolster in the Regional Finals. Fans unassured by this victory worried about the team’s form in the competition’s’ Swiss Stage, where things could go south very quickly with just a few bad draws. Some, however, happily crossed their fingers and waited for the Worlds buff to once again “take effect”.
After an unexpected loss to Top Esports in their first Swiss Bo1 match, T1 then went on to beat CBLOL’s paiN Gaming and the LPL 1st seed Bilibili Gaming for a 2:1 match record that makes them one win away from making it to the Knockouts/Quarterfinals.
Their next match on October 11 will truly test if T1’s current Worlds buff is already strong enough; the Korean team is set to face LEC’s biggest stars, G2 Esports. The T1 vs. G2 match-up is one already familiar to fans, having already occurred many times in the past. As a result, many are already speculating that T1, if not near their top form, could lose to the LEC giant. If they do, they’d have to fight tooth-and-nail for a third win that qualifies them for the next stage.
Legends, Living Up To The Myth
This iteration of T1’s roster has never dropped from the quarterfinals of any Worlds tournament ever since they were formed in 2022. They won T1’s (and Faker’s) 4th Worlds championship title in 2023 despite entering as underdogs, adding more material to back up the infamous Worlds buff myth.
Now, in Worlds 2024, T1 has to live up to this reputation. The defending champions have already displayed two outstanding performances in the Swiss Stage. What’s one more to compete in the Knockouts?
Hopes are rising for the most decorated team in League of Legends esports. Fans are growing more confident that T1—who are the most comfortable fighting in LoL’s biggest arena—can defend their title. Will the myth of Worlds being their homeground get debunked, or will T1 make them believe?
Similar posts
League of LegendsNews
Riot Games Faces Lawsuit Over Failed Crypto Partnership
EsportLeague of Legends
KOI to sign Rekkles as Support
EsportNews
Six Invitational 2026 starts with instant upsets: FURIA take down Falcons, Shopify sweep G2, Weibo crush NiP
EsportLeague of Legends
LEC Spring Split 2023: MAD Lions, Heretics, and EXCEL fight for remaining Group Stage spot
