Anyone’s Legend vs T1: Worlds 2025 Quarterfinals Preview
Clash Of The Titans
Anyone’s Legend: The LPL Underdogs Turned Contenders
Anyone’s Legend stormed into Worlds as the LPL’s #2 seed, but they’ve exceeded all expectations in the Main Event. Undefeated at 3-0 in the Swiss Stage, AL dismantled Hanwha Life Esports in Round 1, stunned top seed Gen.G in a thrilling Round 2 upset (16-10-40 KDA edge, led by Tarzan’s Qiyana invades), and capped it with a commanding win over CTBC Flying Oyster to become the first team to punch their playoff ticket. Their playstyle? Razor sharp synergy, adaptive drafts, and explosive team fights, often turning deficits into dominance through calculated comebacks. It’s been nearly two weeks since their last game, so rust could be a factor, but their momentum feels unbreakable especially on home soil, where the crowd’s roar could propel them to the semis.
Key to AL’s success is their jungle-top duo, Tarzan, the versatile pathing maestro who’s thrived on picks like Qiyana and Xin Zhao to dictate early skirmishes. Flandre, a meta monster on tanks like K’Sante who absorbs pressure while scaling into a late game powerhouse. Midlaner Shanks brings flashy outplays on mages like Twisted Fate, while support Kael’s visionary engages have unlocked bot lane duos featuring Hope on hypercarries like Ziggs. The wrinkle? AL’s draft depth thins after the first three games, if T1 forces a long series, priority picks could expose cracks.
T1: Reigning Champs Fighting for a Three-Peat
As back to back Worlds winners, T1 entered 2025 with sky high expectations, but their Swiss Stage was a rollercoaster fitting for a team that’s thrived on adversity. Starting strong with a win over FlyQuest, they hit turbulence: a shocking upset loss to CFO and a humbling fall to Gen.G dropped them to 1-2. But the goats showed why they’re legends, sweeping 100 Thieves and Movistar KOI to advance at 3-2, all while nursing minor health issues and tweaking their early game woes. Their matches have drawn monster viewership, topping the charts for peak audiences, a testament to the “Faker effect” even in uneven form.
T1’s engine? The Oner-Keria axis in the jungle and support roles, where Oner’s omnipresent ganks pair with Keria’s peel and roams to control vision and objectives. Midlaner Faker remains the tournament’s most consistent force, weaving magic on picks like Neeko and Taliyah, while ADC Gumayusi has flashed pentakill potential. Toplaner Doran has been the relative weak link, struggling with meta shifts, but his adaptability could shine if drafts favor utility tops like Poppy. Overall, T1’s 56% win rate pales next to AL’s 64%, but their objective control (higher first baron rates) keeps them dangerous.
Key Matchups to Watch
Jungle Duel: Tarzan vs. Oner – This is the series’ soul. Both are proactive pathfinders, but Oner’s macro vision clashes with Tarzan’s chaos. Whichever seizes scuttle control early sets the tempo.
Midlane Mastery: Shanks vs. Faker – Shanks’ roaming aggression meets Faker’s unshakeable fundamentals. A single misplay here could snowball botlane.
Draft Dynamics – AL’s early-game explosiveness thrives on contested picks like Rakan or Ambessa. T1 excels in mid-series adjustments, potentially flipping side lanes with Bard/Caitlyn comps.
The odds favour AL at 55%, I predict 3-2 triumph.
Head-to-Head: A History of Heart-Stoppers
These teams have split their limited meetings, but context matters. At MSI 2025’s Lower Bracket Final in Vancouver, T1 edged AL 3-2 in an all-timer, with Gumayusi’s heroics sealing the comeback. Earlier, at the Esports World Cup, AL flipped the script with a clean 2-0 sweep though that tourney’s format carries less prestige. Broader lore favors T1 as they’ve never dropped a Worlds Bo5 to an LPL squad, including their razor-thin 3-2 triumph over Bilibili Gaming in last year’s final.
Map score sits at 4-3 for AL overall, but T1’s experience edge (26 combined Worlds appearances vs. AL’s 7) screams “series decider.”
Since: October 29, 2025
