T1 Wins 4th LoL World Championship
T1 and Faker have won their fourth World Championship. Seven years on from their last triumph, the team has finally lifted the Summoner’s Cup on home soil for the very first time.
In doing so they beat all LPL attendees, carrying the expectations of Korea on their back and finally finding success on the biggest stage for a roster that’s been unable to do so for the last two years.
The 3-0 series started with a 31-minute victory for T1, despite Faker, the Unkillable Demon King, being on the receiving end of a First Blood bank. Picks by jungler Oner, who pulled out Lee Sin for the opening game, consistently set up favourable fights for the home favourites and his side was eventually able to close out the game in 31 minutes.
Game two carried on in a similar fashion and saw T1 take a firm stranglehold on the series. Only allowing Weibo a single kill all game, the Korean side dominated during the 30-minute win with Zeus’ Gwen particularly problematic for Weibo. Their own top laner TheShy showed the colder end of his hot/cold form, giving away numerous kills to T1’s top – a prominent pattern throughout the series.
The domination continued in game three. Despite a decent start from Weibo, T1 wasn’t swayed and quickly took control of the match. Another massive showing from Zeus saw T1 win teamfight after teamfight, eventually finding one that allowed them to end the match, series and tournament.
19-year-old Choi “Zeus” Woo-je was rightly awarded the series MVP for his troubles, cementing his spot as the world’s best top laner. A potential strong performance from opponent TheShy was thought to be one of Weibo’s best chances at claiming an upset, however, the former Invictus Gaming player was not just a passenger but a liability for Weibo on the day. He finished with a 1/16/5 KDA compared to a 16/4/17 record for Zeus.
The win also meant that Faker lifted his unrivaled fourth LoL Worlds Championship, seven years on from his last and a decade after his first. No player has matched his legacy, he’s the most decorated player of all. None can match his longevity either. League of Legends was almost an entirely different game a decade ago and winning titles in both periods firmly places Faker as the greatest of all time.
This series was thought to be the last before T1’s star-studded roster disbands. The players had spoken recently about their slim chances of staying together for the 2024 season – owing to the intense pressure that the roster has faced over the last two years.
Playing for the world’s most prominent organisation, they’ve constantly played under immense expectations from fans yet struggled to fulfill their potential. Now they’ve finally made it work, winning a World Championship in what may be their last ever game together.
Header image credit: Riot Games via X (@LoLEsports)
