Preface: The S15 season matches have officially started. It is believed that the vast majority of players have been paying attention to the recent battles. The regular seasons in all major regions are almost over, and the LCK region is likely the most watched. As the acknowledged top region worldwide, they have won three world titles this season. Recently, the official team revealed T1’s S14 season championship skins. Online reactions were mixed, but most people felt the designers had run out of creativity. The test server has updated the championship skin version, only to find that the official side omitted the top laner Zeus, showing just four T1 players on the main page.

Riot Games makes another major blunder

Most players are quite familiar with T1, a top-tier team in the LCK region with an outstanding record. They have won five World Championship titles. After claiming the S14 championship, T1 underwent some roster changes. Top laner Zeus left due to contract issues and joined HLE. For half a year, T1 fans criticized Zeus online, and he even faced harassment during his military service. However, after T1’s owner publicly apologized, the truth came out, and fans understood that T1 was at fault, not Zeus.

Recently, Riot officially released T1’s championship skins. Although Zeus had left, the championship skin set still needed marketing, as the five players were once hailed as the perfect lineup. It was expected that this skin marketing would go smoothly, but Riot’s series of actions sparked widespread mockery online. Even before the skins launched on the live server, the test server updated to the championship skin version. Players noticed a serious issue in the victory screen: what should have been a five-player championship photo had Zeus photoshopped out, leaving only Oner, Faker, Clozer, and Keria.

Honestly, this move really damages their reputation. If it’s a championship marketing set, why exclude Zeus? Of course, this might relate to contract issues. Zeus has joined HLE, so any marketing would require HLE’s consent. If HLE doesn’t agree, Zeus would likely be removed. After all, the championship skin sales benefit T1, while HLE gains nothing. So far, Riot has not responded to this matter. Whether it was intentional or accidental remains unclear. If this situation persists on the live server, it will definitely cause an uproar.

In a recent rematch between T1 and HLE, T1 won 2-1. T1 dominated HLE, with the top and jungle combining for 20 kills in the first game. T1 surged in mid-game and secured a decisive victory, with an economic lead exceeding 17,000 at the end. In the second game, T1 gained a good early advantage but failed to find a way to finish the match mid-game, allowing HLE’s two carries to scale into the late game. Gwen, Taliyah, and Ezreal dealt massive damage, and HLE fought for 47 minutes to even the series. In the third game, T1 once again crushed their opponents. Winning the dragon team fight gave T1 a strong advantage, and they consecutively won multiple team fights within minutes, completely overwhelming HLE.

Farewell thoughts

Honestly, I didn’t expect Riot to make such a cut. Fortunately, this is only on the test server. If this happened on the live server, there would be massive backlash online. Of course, if HLE refuses combined marketing, it’s understandable, since such promotion holds no value for them and might even bring negative publicity. Hopefully, Riot can coordinate better. This is the first time a championship skin set features only four players.

What do you all think about this situation?