Today Busan’s arena roared as T1 delivered a resounding 3-0 victory over LNG Esports in the quarterfinals of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship.
The dominant performance sent shockwaves through the League esports community, especially in light of the fact that the other three teams who qualified for the semifinals up to this point all hailed from the LPL region. But it was T1 who dominated all three games from the draft phase, dictating the pace of the games and reshaping the Worlds’ meta with champions picks such as Nilah, Senna and Ashe.
The first game saw T1’s slow and steady rise to dominance, as they exhibited precise and proactive moves to counter LNG’s plays, thus gradually gaining control over the Rift. The second game mirrored the first, with T1 being prepared, calm, and collected as they secured all drakes and multiple solo kills across the map. In the third game, LNG seemed increasingly desperate, focusing their efforts on the bot lane but failing in their repeated attempts to dive T1’s bot lane.
It was soon clear that LNG no longer had any influence on the game. The LPL team needed to pray to the ‘GODS’ for their opponents to make a mistake and attempt a comeback, but it was T1 who emerged as the true ‘GODS’ of the Rift.
Despite their continuous efforts, LNG couldn’t find the breakthrough needed to turn the tides of the game and the series, and were swiftly eliminated from the tournament less than three hours after they walked on stage today.
T1’s discipline and dominance allowed them to obtain all drakes in the series, and their oppressive playstyle ensured that Gumayusi and Zeus ended games without giving up a single kill. On top of that, Oner’s performance in this series was nothing short of exceptional, marking what was arguably his best showing in the tournament thus far.
With this win, T1 has put a halt to LPL’s domination at Worlds, but their journey is far from over. They now will have to face JD Gaming in the semifinals, the LPL number one seed considered by many the favorite to lift the Summoner’s Cup this year.
T1’s incredible performance in the quarterfinals has ignited the hopes of their fans, but the only LCK representative remaining in the competition still has one more giant to take down to reach the Worlds Finals stage once again.
