‘Faker’ is on his way to a sixth title. The semifinals: no big deal. Thanks to his team’s brilliant performance, the “Demon King” continues to shine. The games at a glance:
‘Faker’, the “immortal Demon King” and five-time world champion, is back in World Championship mode. After a shaky start in the Swiss round, he and his team are back where they are in every World Championship they participate in – in the semifinals. “Without T1, there is no legend. If you want to become one yourself, you have to beat us,” he preached before the match.
Their opponents, Top Esports (TES), were no less cocky: AD carry ‘JackyLove’ correctly assessed the situation: “T1 has a lot to lose. We, on the other hand, have nothing to fear.” TES wanted to prove that Chinese teams can beat ‘Faker’. Last year, however, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals, losing to T1.
Game 1: A team fight decides everything
Not a particularly good omen for the LPL team. The first game didn’t really get the semifinal atmosphere going either. Even before the start, a technical break caused the first setback. Not much happened in the game for a long time either. TES had actually put together a team that was supposed to cause chaos early on and take out ‘Faker’ before he could become a threat in team fights with Orianna. However, several attempts by Chinese mid laner ‘Creme’ on Akali came to nothing.
The game remained tactical until the 25-minute mark: TES managed to score a single kill, while T1 continued to take down neutral targets on the map.
Then the world champions stepped on the gas. Doran isolated the opposing jungler ‘Kanavi’ with Mordekaiser’s ultimate. Supporter ‘Keria’ then took over: TES’ entire strategy was neutralized with two skills. Without Wukong to start the fight, the Chinese had little means of getting into the action. T1 then secured Atakhan and Baron. Five minutes later, the Koreans won the game.
Game 2: Korea in team fight fireworks
T1 took a less cautious approach in game 2, fielding a brutal combination of Neeko, Galio, Camille, Jarvan, and Kai’Sa – a team built to pin down opponents in combat. TES responded questionably with Ambessa to protect the team’s main source of damage: ‘JackeyLove’ on Corki.
But Ambessa has to sneak up to be effective – the wrong choice against an opponent who throws himself into battle without hesitation.
Time and again, T1 proved to have the better feel for the game and pinned down TES with the help of ‘Keria’s Neeko. This was also the case in the decisive battle for Atakhan. The Korean support landed his ultimate perfectly, locking down several TES players at once.
‘369’ on Ambessa tried in vain to isolate someone. TES was wiped off the map in seconds, and T1 was just one win away from the final. To avoid a repeat of last year, TES urgently needed to step up.
Game 3: TES gets going – and bounces off
The Chinese stepped up their game – at least in terms of champion selection. ‘Kanavi’ on Qiyana was supposed to ensure that ‘JackeyLove’ on Draven got the gold he needed for his items to take on ‘Gumayusi’ with an early presence in the game.
But Ashe and Renata were a strong response from T1: range, slowdown, and the ultimate “Hostile Takeover” are difficult to overcome.
The Chinese played more aggressively than before: ‘Kanavi’ gained an advantage and dictated the early pace of the game. ‘Faker’ came under pressure several times under his own tower.
But the gold stuck with ‘Kanavi’ and didn’t find its way to ‘JackeyLove’ as planned. The lead evaporated in the fight for the first dragon. The Chinese ADC failed to take out ‘Gumayusi’. From then on, every subsequent encounter went narrowly to T1. After 29 minutes, the Chinese dream of reaching the final was over.
Will the old man do it a sixth time?
It seems almost surreal: for three years in a row, T1 and ‘Faker’ have been the story of the tournament. No legend without him, not even a decent story, it seems.
The temporary problems the team had after ‘Zeus’ left last year seem to have been overcome. The Koreans are once again displaying the coordinated strength that has already brought them two world championship titles.
Top Esports, on the other hand, leaves this year’s World Championship with disappointment. They found no answer to T1’s flexibility and discipline.
Now all eyes are on November 9—the grand final. Because finally, Riot is taking a break from “nonstop cinema.” It’s about time, too: constant League of Legends at the highest level gets tiring after a while.
“No legend without T1,” “All roads lead to me”: In 2025, there will still be only one question: Can “Faker” repeat his masterpiece and secure his sixth world championship title? He’s up against KT Rolster – a team that is weaving its own legend this year: “Dark Horse,” “Underdog,” “Band of Misfits” are the names given to the team that has dominated its way to the finals undefeated so far. Can they defeat ‘Faker’? It’s not unlikely.
