LCK Spring 2024 can be said to be one of the seasons that witnessed T1's most ups and downs. Because, this team is from the position of “king of League of Legends” after winning the 2023 World Championship, having “fallen” right in the opening match against Gen.G. It's true that Gen.G is very strong, but no one thinks that the hot T1 can fail. Not to mention, after a series of sublimation with 12 consecutive wins, Gen.G was the name that dragged T1 to the ground. The remaining stages of the group stage until the match against Dplus KIA in the playoffs saw a T1 extremely struggling, struggling in their own playing style.
T1 will prepare to enter MSI 2024 but needs to try harder if they want to compete for the upcoming title.
Recently, some Chinese netizens summarized T1's gameplay in just a few lines post. Accordingly, the post has the content: “If Keria carries the team, the opponent is extremely poor. If Zeus carries the team, the opponent is also good but not significant. If Faker and Oner carry the team, we are preparing to compete for the championship.” The enemy, the opponent is very strong. If Gumayusi carries the team, it's over.”
“If Keria carries the team, the opponent is extremely weak. If Zeus carries the team, the opponent is also good but not significant. If Faker and Oner carry the team, we are preparing to compete for the championship, the opponent is very strong. If Gumayusi Carrying the team, that's the end of the rescue.”
Although it is a humorous comment, this is actually somewhat accurate, for T1 or any team in the current meta. And reality has proven that when Keria has a high POG score, as well as in matches where his Support Gunner playstyle is at its best, opponents cannot match T1. Meanwhile, even if you meet a few “tough” names (DK, HLE or KT), it will be difficult for Keria to create a mutation as usual. This also applies to Zeus when his Aatrox was locked in a cover play style in the match against HLE in the second leg of the LCK Spring 2024 group stage recently.
“This is correct. If Oner plays like he did at Worlds 2023, no matter how Zeus and Gumayusi play, no one can defeat T1. Faker and Oner will “carry the team”. And T1 doesn't usually play around Their ADC is also right. They are more like a “Top-Road team”.
Meanwhile, as long as Faker – Oner, and especially Oner, can compete like at Worlds 2023, the remaining routes are extremely easy to play. Faker has shown how well he is able to “carry the team”, such as his “miraculous” Quadra Kill in the final match against Gen.G. And in that final match, when Gumayusi was the last hope, even though he still had good damage, the T1 Gunner was truly helpless.
The “magical” combination of Faker – Oner – Keria in the match against JDG at Worlds 2023
In the last few versions, the Gunner has been “nerfed” very strongly, making these positions require as much equipment as possible and players with enough skills, experience and bravery to choose a good position and release. Do the most damage in combat without being targeted too much. In the first match of the playoffs against HLE, Delight's mission was extremely simple: put everything he could into Gumayusi before the fight and force T1 to always be in a 4-on-5 position, without much damage.
Gumayusi also understands that sometimes he has to accept serving the team's general playing style
Gumayusi himself also admitted: “The AD position is like this, if we use ramen noodles as a metaphor, the AD will be like an egg. Top Lane, Mid Lane and Jungle are like water, noodles, spices but the double ADC It's okay to not have it. Of course, if it's ramen, it will taste much better with eggs, but it feels like a vegetable package. For example, if you order two identical bowls of noodles Whichever bowl has eggs is better. That's when the egg plays its role. But if there's little water, no seasoning, or undercooked noodles, then what's the point of having eggs? If everything is ready, the egg will become important.
Gumayusi once likened the role of Gunner to “eggs in ramen noodles”: if you have them, the food will taste better, but if you don't, it's okay.
Indeed, with T1 alone, when the Gunner had to speak up and “carry the team”, it meant that the early and mid-game in other positions were not really good (so we had to shift the gameplay and put resources into for Gunner). As long as the game hasn't gotten out of control, everything is fine. But if the opponent is too strong, it is basically difficult for Gumayusi to create a breakthrough if the opponent is a closely playing team like Gen.G or HLE.
When a Gunner born in 2002 has to carry the team, sometimes it is an untenable situation for T1.
More than anyone else, Gumayusi is someone who clearly understands certain “disadvantages” that he must accept. But perhaps, for the Gunner born in 2002, as long as T1 wins and wins the title, personal factors are no longer so important.