T1 has fallen into the same "old trap" against HLE, a ban/pick mistake that frustrates fans.

The swift defeat against HLE once again exposed T1's familiar issues. Notably, Faker and his teammates nearly perfectly repeated the mistake that cost them at Road to MSI 2026, as they again allowed HLE to secure an effective counter to the Lucian-Milio duo.

Lucian - Milio countered by HLE again.

In their encounter with HLE at Road to MSI 2026, T1 had chosen the duo Lucian - Milio for the bot lane. This is a pair of champions capable of exerting immense pressure during the laning phase, especially if executed properly.

However, HLE responded with Kog'Maw - Lulu and nearly completely neutralized T1's intentions. Gumayusi - Delight not only held their lane well but also laid the foundation for HLE to continuously execute bot ganks, preventing Peyz - Keria from leveraging their champion advantage.

What's noteworthy is that in the recent rematch, a similar scenario occurred.

T1 continued to trust Lucian - Milio, while HLE once again showed they were not intimidated by this duo. Instead of finding a new approach or forcing the opponent to adapt, T1 fell into the exact same situation that had led to their defeat months earlier.

HLE reads T1's playstyle too clearly.

The problem is not just about the two champions chosen. HLE seemed to have thoroughly understood how T1 intends to execute the game when they have Lucian - Milio.

If T1 cannot secure an early advantage in the bot lane, the value of this duo decreases significantly. Meanwhile, HLE possesses better teamfighting and top-side execution, making it increasingly difficult for T1 to find a way back into the game.

As a result, the final "Super Classic" of Rounds 3-4 ended in less than an hour of actual play, with T1 nearly unable to create a balanced enough game against their opponent.

T1 needs to change before Playoffs.

Individual performance is clearly part of the reason, but T1's tactical issues are also becoming increasingly concerning.

Against Gen.G, HLE, and even KT, Faker's team often lets opponents gain a large advantage before trying to find a counterattack. If KT hadn't made mistakes in game 2 of their recent match, T1 might even have lost third place.

Playoffs LCK 2026 are very close, and Worlds 2026 is not far off either. T1 has often shown the ability to peak at the right moment, but to do so again, they need to quickly resolve both their psychological issues and their pick/ban problems.

Because if they continue to repeat the mistakes that opponents have already exploited successfully, T1 may pay a much heavier price when stepping into crucial BO5 series.