Preface: The S16 season has officially kicked off, and I believe the vast majority of players have been closely following the recent battles in the top lane. The playoffs in the LCK region have been quite intense. T1, a team that garners a lot of attention, has been experiencing severe fluctuations in form lately. They even pushed their first playoff series to the full five games and nearly lost, but thankfully Peyz secured a pentakill in the final match to save the team. Doran also delivered outstanding performances in the last two games — one with Nasus backdooring and another with Kennen landing a "Thunderstorm." It feels like Faker has become a mediocre player now, lacking the leadership he once had.

Peyz secures another pentakill

With the playoffs underway, the competition across all major regions has intensified. The LCK is a focus for many netizens. In the playoff matches, T1 voluntarily chose BFX as their opponent, expecting a relatively easy series. However, the first round of the BO5 went the distance. In Game 1, T1 looked stable; in the early game, they secured two kills in the bot lane. During the dragon fight, T1 won a 1-for-3 trade, and then Faker's Taliyah landed consecutive crowd control in the mid lane, widening the gold gap. A sudden mid-lane engagement led to T1 acing BFX, and after securing the Baron buff, they essentially sealed the win. They took Game 1 fairly easily at 33 minutes.

In Game 2, both teams played cautiously in the early stages, but T1's mid lane kept getting caught out, allowing BFX to gradually build an advantage. Doran's Ornn tried to turn the tide in team fights, but couldn't close the gold gap. Eventually, T1 failed to force a kill on Zeri, and BFX aced them 5-for-0 in the mid lane, ending the game at 29 minutes.

In Game 3, T1's duo carries continued to underperform. Faker's signature Galio went 0-4, and Peyz also went 0-3. The pace of the game was completely one-sided, and BFX took another point at 30 minutes, securing match point in the BO5.

In the crucial Game 4, both teams played standard laning without much combat. When BFX forced a Baron, T1 seized the opportunity and countered with a 4-for-0 ace. The ensuing team fights were intense, stretching to 40 minutes. Doran's Nasus, after stacking up his Q damage, went on a backdoor rampage. BFX's Corki got a triple kill but couldn't prevent Nasus from destroying the nexus.

In the decisive Game 5, T1 played too cautiously. Several perfect team fights in the early game gave them a massive gold lead. By 22 minutes, they were already 8,000 gold ahead. In the mid-lane team fight, Peyz's Varus secured a pentakill in ten seconds, once again becoming the "humanoid Elder Dragon." In the end, Doran was awarded the MVP. One game with Nasus backdooring, another with Kennen's Thunderstorm — truly critical performances.

In the post-match interview, Faker expressed his confidence and his desire to go to the U.S. He mentioned that he had many great memories from participating in Worlds in the U.S. and looked forward to another experience there. After winning the match, Doran also became quite confident, saying he couldn't predict who their opponent would be in the next round, but regardless of which team they face, he would prepare with the mindset of winning. Honestly, no one expected T1 to be saved by Doran. The team's rhythm has been fluctuating too much, and Faker is getting caught far too often.

Zai Jian's take:

Peyz truly deserves the title of "humanoid Elder Dragon." With this pentakill, he has now achieved 17 pentakills in his career, leading the global leaderboard by a wide margin. T1's next opponent will likely be Gen.G or HLE, both of which are top-tier teams. Given their current form, T1's chances of winning seem relatively low.

What do you, our dear viewers, think about this?