T1 headed to the winner’s bracket of the playoffs after a bloody full set match. 안전놀이터
T1 narrowly defeated KT Rolster 3-2 in the second round of the 2023 LoL Champions Korea (LCK) spring season playoffs held at the LCK Arena in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 25th. With this victory, T1 advanced to the winner’s bracket, and KT moved to the loser’s bracket. The opponents of the two teams will be decided according to the results of the Gen.G vs. Hanwha Life Esports match on the 26th.
The strongest opponent T1 faced this season, which ranked first in the regular league and recorded 17 wins and 1 loss, was KT. T1 seemed to win easily by winning the first set, but KT relentlessly caught up in the next set and sweated. In the final set, the two teams played a long match for over 50 minutes, and T1 won by a single point.
It is the first time since the 2018 spring season that the two teams faced each other in the playoff stage. At that time, they met on the stage of the first round and KT won a 3-1 come-from-behind victory. In the regular league this year, T1 won both times.
General Meng, both teams traded wins and losses once. T1 put KT in trouble from the first set with bottom dive pressure using Lucian Nami and Ellis. They took 4 dragon buffs in a row without giving up a single turret. I was stealing the Baron buff once, but I finished the game without showing much embarrassment.
Thanks to Kim Ki-in (Jacks)’s performance, KT caught up with a set. T1 took away KT’s Baron Nashor twice using ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok’s ‘Unsealed Order’, but was pushed back in a teamfight. In the 36th minute, KT took 4 kills in the Elder Dragon battle and succeeded in scratching the opponent.
T1, whose pride was hurt, used Xante and Lee Sin to beat KT again in the third set. The balance of the game collapsed at the same time that ‘Zeus’ Woo-je Choi (Xanteh) avenged the solo kill he suffered in the previous round. T1 quickly rolled a snowball with the power of the top jungle and confirmed the victory.
KT returned the set score to a tie by using the roaming play of Kwak Bo-seong (Twisted Fate) of ‘BDD’. KT made good use of the champion’s characteristics and scored consecutively in small fights. In the second half, ‘Aiming’ Haram Kim (Jerry)’s carry power exploded, and KT destroyed the T1 Nexus without incident.
In the final set, the best game of the season unfolded. KT took a big lead thanks to Kim Ki-in (Jace)’s performance at the beginning of the game. However, T1 also turned the tide of the battle by winning two teamfights through the operation of Baron Nasher, their specialty.
Even in the first elder dragon battle, victory or defeat was not covered. After 50 minutes, the winner and loser were finally decided in the second elder dragon fight. T1 made the kill first with a gap of one point. After blocking Kim Ki-in’s back door, they were finally able to wipe the cold sweat off their foreheads.