T1: The Forever Threat at LoL Worlds

The League of Legends World Championship 2025 in China is nearly done, and just like that, we’re going to see T1 play in a yet another LoL Worlds Finals. After a year of being inconsistent, being forever behind Gen.G and usually behind Hanwha Life Esports as well, it did not matter because, like clockwork, it’s T1 that reaches the top in the end, again. So let’s preview this team and have a look back at their journey through Worlds as they prepare for their final match of the year.

T1 at the 2025 LoL Worlds

Play-ins and Swiss stage

Before reaching Worlds, T1 had a rough second half to their season. During the playoffs, they got smashed by both Gen.G and HLE. Each player took turns getting outclassed by their opposition, and so they made Worlds as Korea’s fourth seed.

T1 started their LoL Worlds journey in the play-ins, with a Best of 5 against Invictus Gaming. T1 won convincingly, but looked no better than their domestic form.

Afterwards, the Swiss stage was a dim story, at least by their standards. T1 won easily against FlyQuest, lost to a strong-looking CTBC Flying Oysters, but that’s when things turned sour. Gen.G dismantled them afterwards, and it wasn’t a result of Gen.G doing particularly well.

Their path then concluded with two wins against 100 Thieves and Moviestar KOI. T1 fared pretty well against 100T, but did not put up a good performance against MKOI at all. Even though they won, they made plenty of unexplainable mistakes in the process. All in all, this was T1’s worst Swiss stage to date, and the only time they got two losses before the playoffs.

Knockout stage

As expected, T1 once again made everything change come the Knockout stage.

T1 faced Anyone’s Legend in quarterfinals, the LPL second seed. Unexpectedly, AL had looked like one of the best teams in the Swiss stage, going 3-0 and taking down both HLE and GenG along the way. Their match would result in one of the best series of all time, with both teams giving a stellar performance and going blow for blow through all five games.

By winning against AL, T1 passed the real test. First off, they extended their unbroken streak of reaching the semifinals at every single Worlds they attended, despite all odds. But more importantly, by playing great against that strong of a team, they showed that they were, not a moment too soon, in Worlds form, and that they could be a real challenger to GenG in the LoL Worlds finals.

… Or so everyone thought, at least.

Regardless, even though the final challenger will not be the one we thought, by that time, it was the only real roadblock left. In the semifinals, T1 was expected to stomp Top Esports, and stomp TES they did. T1 played as well as they did against AL, which is objectively a better team than Top Esports , while their opponent did what they do every single year, crumbled in an international Best of 5 and lost in a depressing 3-0.

And so, T1’s record in Best of 5s against LPL teams at Worlds is now an impeccable 13 to 0.

Image Source: Riot Games / LoL Esports (via X @LoLEsports)

A preview of T1, the impending doom

It’s that time of the year when it becomes impossible to evaluate T1. They had plenty of flaws regionally, flaws that the other teams had no problems exploiting. These showed up again at LoL Worlds against GenG, CFO, or MKOI. But in the Knockout stage? A whole different story.

Regionally, T1 famously had champion pool issues, with Faker and Gumayusi looking very uncomfortable on a couple of meta champs. Faker, for instance, never did great on Annie or Yone, hasn’t won with Sylas this split (with one loss), and hasn’t played Aurora. All four of these champions have been important meta picks.

At Worlds, though, he’s played by far the most champions out of any player, at 14. He’s also brought out Mel and Leblanc, two picks that only a few players went for. And the runner-up? Gumayusi, who claims the second place with 11 champions played. Somehow, in the Knockout stage, he manages just fine on champions he’s struggled with all year long, like Kai’sa.

• Read also: What happened to the 2025 Worlds favorites?

The players’ forms

Another weak point of T1 has been the inconsistency of their top laner and marksman, who have, over the course of the year, shown a capacity to be either the best in their spot or the weak link for the team. Even Keria, who’s been solid as a rock for T1 all year long, joined them in this during the Swiss stage of Worlds. Both members of the team’s bot lane have had some horrendous performances at the tournament.

Against AL however, they all carried more than their share of the weight. Keria even received a highlight reel of his Neeko plays from the LoL Esports channel. As for Oner, nothing to say about him. He’s been solid the entire season; he remains solid at Worlds.

What about Faker? The Unkillable Demon King, too, hasn’t looked as good this year. In fact, his mechanics haven’t kept up with those of the other mid laners of the LCK. In lane, he regularly falls behind in farm, in pressure, or in kills. The Faker of today is no longer the assassin prodigy that he was for the first few years of his career.

But he makes up for it by being one of the smartest players in the world, with the coldest nerves and proven leadership skills. Faker is the most decorated player for a reason, and that reason is not luck.

Just like the others, Faker, too, hasn’t shown his usual flaws ever since he entered the Knockout stage. His performances in the playoffs were way above that of most other players, and he was instrumental in T1’s game 5 win against AL.

The GOAT gets brutal one-liners during the Worlds hype videos. And with his level of play, they’re warranted.

Image Source: Riot Games / LoL Esports (via X @LoLEsports)

T1’s explosive games

While it might come across as a surprise to those who see them as the representatives of the usual calm and collected playstyle of the LCK, T1 likes to brawl. And if the other team wants to fistfight it out, they’re not ones to back down from that challenge.

At the 2025 LoL Worlds, both of the matches with the most kills involve T1. The first one, their match against AL, with 149 kills; and the second one, their play-ins series against iG, with 143 kills. In fact, with the latter being only 4 games long, that match holds the record for most kills per game for this year.

T1 already gets the highest viewership due to their popularity. However, by making their matches fun like that, they might look to break records on that front.

That’s all for T1! Stick around for more coverage of the LoL Worlds 2025, with an introduction of the KT Rolster and a preview of the LoL Worlds Finals.

Featured Image Source: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games