The third stage of the LCK group stage has only one day left before it concludes. On the previous match day, DK secured their 19th win of the season by defeating DNF 2-1. Xu’s recent form has been outstanding; in this BO3, his excellent performances on Orianna and Ahri earned him the series MVP once again. If he maintains this form in the qualifiers, DK’s advancement to the playoffs should be quite certain.

Another match on the same day was the crucial BO3 between T1 and GEN. For T1, winning would guarantee second place and a direct start from the second round of playoffs. Losing would hand second place to HLE, forcing T1 to start from the first round. As everyone knows, GEN came back from behind to win 2-1, shattering T1’s hopes of second place. HLE comfortably holds second place at home after the regular season.

Watching the entire match, T1 seemed somewhat sluggish. Besides Faker and Oner, the other three players were quite underwhelming. In the first game, Doran played a decent Rumble, gaining lane advantage with jungle support, but the bot lane was completely overwhelmed—Rascal went 1-4, Keria started 0-3, and Faker’s undying Orianna was the only reason they managed to win. However, in the next two games, both the top and bot lanes collectively underperformed.

Doran’s Rumble was aggressive but even ended up hitting his own teammates with his ultimate. The bot lane was killed repeatedly in lane. The mid and top laners were fighting, but the game suddenly ended. Rascal’s performance in the second game was really poor—while Ruler secured a pentakill, Rascal was crushed 0-7, nearly going beyond that. In the deciding game, the AD carry difference was still evident; from lane phase, Gumayusi was pressured constantly, falling behind by over 30 CS and unable to match damage output in team fights.

Doran’s Viego didn’t even get to the pushing phase before the game ended. Judging purely from the laning phase across all three lanes, T1’s bot duo was truly treated like bots, being dominated every game. Ruler looked like a god on the other side. The jungle and mid duo consistently started with advantages, but by 15 minutes, checking the stats showed the bot lane was destroyed and the top lane was at a disadvantage, making T1 want to surrender immediately.

After three games, Rascal’s stats were 6-16, and Keria’s were 0-16, combining for 6 kills and 32 deaths. Except for the first game where Gumayusi got 6 kills, the duo scored zero kills in the last two games. Honestly, their form is quite poor. If they don’t improve before playoffs, facing a team like DK could lead to an upset loss. The good news is T1 can choose their opponents in the playoffs.

Once the legendary group rankings were finalized, the playoff brackets were also revealed. Unlike the LPL’s 14 and 23 half-brackets, the LCK uses 13 and 24 for the same half. This means T1 will share a half-bracket with GEN in the playoffs. If T1 wins the first round, they could face GEN again as early as the second round. Although GEN’s recent form is shaky, as long as T1 avoids DK in the playoffs, the other teams should be manageable.

T1’s potential playoff opponents include NS, DK, BFX, and one team from the qualifiers whose identity is not yet decided. The final match between DRX and BRO will determine who enters the qualifiers. The LCK qualifier schedule is set: DK and BFX from the rebirth group will compete for a playoff spot, while NS from the legendary group will face either DRX or BRO. Among these four, DK and NS have the higher chances of making the playoffs.

Conclusion:

If T1 picks NS in the playoffs, they should be able to secure a solid win. However, the urgent task is for the bot duo to quickly regain form. If their performance remains as weak as it was against GEN, even facing NS will be challenging. Relying solely on Faker and Oner to carry won’t be enough to win matches. The bot lane needs to review and reflect on their play immediately.

So, who do you think T1 will choose?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!