South Korean powerhouse T1 dominated Chinese rivals JD Gaming (JDG) in a 3-1 victory in the semifinals of the 2023 League of Legends Worlds Championships last Sunday.
The win guarantees that local fans will have a home team to cheer for in the upcoming grand finals as the second seed of LoL Championship Korea (LCK) prepares to battle for the Summoner's Cup. In their sixth Worlds Grand Finals appearance, T1 is pursuing a fourth major trophy.
T1 top laner Choi "Zeus" Woo-je expressed his determination to make up for the previous year's finals loss against DRX. "Last year, I experienced a heartbreaking loss, but this time, I can make up for it," he said.
Weibo Gaming (WBG) had earlier secured a spot in the finals after defeating Chinese compatriots BiliBili Gaming (BLG) in a 3-2 series. The victory marks WBG's first Worlds finals.
WBG took an early lead with a 29-minute win on the first map, but BLG responded with a 35-minute victory on the second map. The teams traded wins on the third and fourth maps, with WBG taking the third map in 28 minutes and BLG securing the fourth map in 29 minutes.
The fifth and deciding map was a back-and-forth battle, but WBG ultimately emerged victorious, winning the map in 35 minutes with a 20-15 kill lead.
Halting the Golden Road
Heading into the semifinals on Sunday, JDG held the upper hand over T1. The Chinese team swept through the tournament with an impressive track record, including two LoL Pro League (LPL) championships and the coveted Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) title.
Their dominance had fueled aspirations of completing the Golden Road, a feat that would involve claiming all four major LoL titles in a single year.
T1's Ryu "Keria" Min-seok had earlier said after the quarterfinals that his team could stop JDG. "I think that JD Gaming is doing really well at Worlds. However, our team is also doing great, so I think we have what it takes to win against them," he said.
T1 proved his confidence, refusing to be intimidated by JDG's titles. With strategic adaptability, they outplayed JDG, seizing control of the matches.
The first game set the tone for the series, with T1 showcasing an aggressive playstyle to secure a 22-7 kill lead in a 24-minute victory. JDG attempted to regain their footing in the second game, but T1 remained unfazed, adapting their strategies and countering JDG's every move.
T1 regained control in game three, with Keria's Renata Glasc playing a pivotal role in thwarting JDG's comeback efforts. The series continued in this manner, with T1 consistently outplaying their opponents to secure a 3-1 victory.
The win marks a turnaround for T1, who faced challenges earlier in the year due to an arm injury to their star mid-laner, Faker.
Final showdown approaching
With WBG and T1 having secured their tickets, the final stage of the 2023 Worlds is set. On one side, there are the rising stars of WBG, who have cemented the dark horse status after their runs this season. The other side is T1 with Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, who seeks redemption from last year's defeat from DRX.
The Grand Final will be held on Sunday, November 19, at 12 a.m. PST. WBG and T1 will have a best-of-five match at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome, but fans can also watch it live on Riot Games' official channels on Twitch and YouTube.