Keria’s MVP Performance: The “Key Play” in T1’s Controversial Decisions
Recently, the T1 team faced challenges as they only encountered a strong opponent like DRX during the playoffs, a crucial opportunity for them to reclaim their dominance, especially with player Gumayusi, who had been under immense pressure since being thrust into the spotlight due to the LCK Cup 2025. The 2022-born support player has not shied away from the spotlight. However, the true MVP of T1 was Keria, who has been a “key player” for the coaching staff and the T1 roster – the individuals who had to ensure that Gumayusi remained stable while Keria transformed into a reliable AD carry.
Indeed, during the initial match where Gumayusi returned, T1 resembled their prime form from 2021, with Keria able to roam and gank throughout the map. Notably, before each engagement, he could separate from his AD carry to secure the most advantageous angles. Keria’s champions like Alistar and Rakan provided T1 with solid crowd control, ensuring the safety of their AD carry.
Reflecting on the early months of 2025, Keria has only utilized Rakan three times, achieving a 100% win rate in those matches, while his other two games with Gumayusi have been less successful. However, his champion pool has leaned toward more traditional engage supports like Alistar, Leona, or Renata, with significantly lower success rates. Instead, Keria has needed to adapt to tanky support roles like Poppy. It’s clear that these champion choices have impacted Keria’s effectiveness.
How Should T1’s Coaching Staff Evaluate to Improve the Team’s Performance?
A support player can only attain MVP status if the team creates the necessary space and time to execute game-winning plays throughout the match rather than just a single task as the “safety net” for the AD carry. In the T1 – DRX match, Gumayusi provided Keria with opportunities to realize game-winning plays, and Keria’s performance was impressively outstanding. If any other support player were in the same position, Keria might not have delivered such a stellar performance and achieved MVP status like he did against DRX recently.
