Faker’s legendary LeBlanc makes an appearance, IG’s journey ends at the top 17! TheShy’s extreme playstyle becomes their weak point.

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The S14 World Championship qualifiers entered the fourth game, where IG picked top lane Varus and a lineup with very little room for mistakes, leading to a mid-game breakdown and the match concluding in only 26 minutes.

Faker’s legendary LeBlanc appeared, aiding T1 to comfortably secure a spot in the round of 16, while IG was knocked out.

IG tries another surprise tactic, The Shy picks top lane Varus.

During the draft phase of game four, IG on the blue side unveiled a very unusual lineup, selecting explosive bot lane champions and then reinforcing synergy with Pantheon and Titan, followed by a second-round pick of top lane Varus. The entire composition appeared to have an extremely low tolerance for error, relying heavily on gaining an early to mid-game advantage.

T1 responded by locking in a classic disengage and teamfight initiation comp, choosing Ashe and Lulu bot lane to assist in engages, and finally securing Faker’s mid lane LeBlanc. The team focused on ultimate-based playmaking, requiring Faker’s LeBlanc to have a strong early development.

After the match started, both sides continued swapping lanes; Ashe faced Varus, and Rookie was pressured by Faker mid, but Meiko rotated to mid lane to help ease the pressure.

Faker pushed Sylas to the brink of death and attempted a kill, but Meiko’s timely heals kept Sylas alive, turning the fight around to kill Faker and secure first blood. Shortly after, Rookie tried to steal Faker’s LeBlanc ultimate to trade kills, but with two opponents nearby, Rookie was immediately killed.

During the Rift Scuttler contest, IG seized the opportunity when the enemy lacked ultimates to secure two Scuttlers, then forced a kill on Doran top and destroyed the first turret.

IG’s offensive failed, and T1 unleashed relentless teamfight pressure.

In mid-game, IG aggressively invaded the jungle, initiating with Pantheon’s ultimate to successfully kill Oner. Meanwhile, The Shy secured a solo kill on Doran bot. It seemed IG would gain momentum, but a river teamfight collapsed disastrously. Although Titan’s engage took down Lulu, T1 crushed the frontline and wiped IG in a decisive teamfight.

After respawning, WEI flashed mid to kill the support, but multiple T1 players collapsed on The Shy. IG’s reinforcements arrived but misfocused their damage and ended up losing four members in a counterattack.

Down in disadvantage, The Shy’s Varus became a prime target. After appearing in the jungle, T1’s Nocturne initiated with ultimate and combined with Ornn to take him down. IG’s counterattack failed, and the team suffered another crushing defeat in the teamfight.

Both teams then intensified teamfight tempo. Urgot initiated again, and after IG lost many members early, their two carries dealt massive damage, resulting in a 3-for-2 exchange. However, T1 quickly countered with a flank to kill GALA. IG’s reinforcements arrived, and The Shy teleported in to assist teammates in killing Ornn.

But Gumayusi’s ultimate hit Sylas, and multiple T1 players re-engaged the fight to kill four opponents. At this point, the match was nearly decided. Later, Gumayusi’s ultimate finished off a lone WEI, allowing T1 to steadily increase their gold lead.

The skill gap was too wide; IG’s run ended at top 17.

At 26 minutes, T1 initiated another teamfight mid, with Nocturne starting the engage. The Shy’s Varus used his ultimate to become untargetable, but Rookie’s stolen Ornn ultimate failed to save the team. T1 crushed IG in a decisive teamwipe and ended the game shortly after.

Personally, I think by the fourth game, IG showed signs of fatigue and resorted to an extreme playstyle to try breaking the deadlock, hoping to win through chaotic fights. However, T1 was unfazed by such chaos, and IG’s lineup simply lacked the margin for error. T1’s method of winning teamfights was much simpler.

The most crucial moment was the river teamfight where IG’s momentum shattered. After losing that fight, the match was effectively over.

From the perspective of the entire best-of-five qualifier, I believe IG’s losses in games one and three were unfortunate. Our earlier prediction was that IG’s victory depended on T1 having an off day. Indeed, T1 gave IG chances today, and IG showed good moments, but what IG failed to do was reduce their mistakes.

When facing LCK teams, a high error rate almost guarantees defeat. It just shows the significant skill gap between the two teams. Congratulations to T1 for advancing to the main event, while IG was eliminated just one step short of the Worlds Swiss stage.